Is This a Game?
by HanaElric
Summary: Yu-Gi-Oh is fiction. Right? None of it actually happened, Right? That's what I thought too, until I discovered that everything isn't always as it seems. Even your own memories. -Yes, this story does contain original characters, but they won't be in it forever, as it does eventually center around main characters, and NO, it is not, nor will it ever be OCxCanon.-
1. Fanfiction?

Why had he agreed to play this game in the first place? Upon thinking back, the rules were steep, and there was little reward for the winner. But what choice had he? He'd been backed into a corner by the same horrible creature Ryou had sacrificed his soul to save them all from. And here they were again, about to start another game. A shadow game, and an RPG. Yes, he'd been forced into playing an RPG with the same devil-ish creature as before. Why hadn't he refused? He should have refused.

"I'm not entirely evil, _Pharaoh_." Yami Bakura spat. In turn, the Pharaoh glared at the "dungeon master" knowing that couldn't mean anything good. "Oh no, I'll allow you to keep what few pitiful memories you have left." he said with a smirk. "You mean-" "That's right Pharaoh!" Bakura cut him off, "It's a Role-playing Game! Your Host will play his role quite well, not having any memory of who he was before being sealed into the game piece!" The largest, most evil smile imaginable was plastered onto Yami Bakura's face, as he said these words, knowing what effect it would have. "Oh, but don't worry, my Host isn't going to remember anything either. These game pieces have backstories, and THAT is what they will remember. Who they will think they are. You and I of course, will remember everything."

Yugi could feel Yami's shocked terror at the idea of it, but he stayed quiet, knowing that the game, in a way, had already been started. He knew they would get through it. They always did. He trusted his Yami completely.

"Did I touch a nerve?" Bakura said, that horrible smile still stretched across his face, "You can't back out of this now, Pharaoh! The game has already started!"

No, that couldn't have been. He looked around. It was. They were already in the Shadow Realm. Time was running out.

/Yugi? /

The idea of the game DID scare Yugi a little. Ok, a little more than a little. But, Yami hadn't remembered anything about himself when he first finished the Puzzle, right? Yami STILL didn't remember much about himself...So...so Yugi could do this. He could do this, for Yami. Even though the idea of forgetting everything made him sad, and scared, maybe even more than he realized at the time, he HAD to do this.

/We can do this, Yami! We can win this horrible game, and then...then we'll see each other again! /

He knew Yugi would be alright...he had to believe that he would be alright. That wasn't the idea that scared him most. The idea that scared him the most, was that Yugi wasn't going to remember who he was, and yet, he had to remain completely aware. He wasn't _allowed_ to forget, and he knew that it was Yami Bakura's way of punishing him, not showing him mercy.

They both snapped back to reality upon hearing Bakura shout, "Are you ready?!"

Game Start.

That was the end of the chapter? No! Surely not...where was the "next chapter" button? When was this one published, anyways? 2004?! No chance of being updated, then. She sighed as she clicked off of the FanFiction tab, adding that to the long list of 'unfinished fan fiction that she actually really really would have liked to hear the rest of'. Why didn't they update them?

That was ok. She had several other YuGiOh stories she followed. Several.

She was obsessed with the show, possibly to an unhealthy level. She was stereo typical, and she knew it. Her name? Hannah. In her mind, the most overused girls name in name history. She MUCH preferred to go by one of her Cosplay or Role-play names. Oh yeah, she was an "otaku". That means she loved anime, and Japan. Why? She had always thought that was a difficult question...she didn't really KNOW why. Maybe she was a reincarnation of a proud Japanese person. Or maybe she was just drawn to the culture by nature. Something like that.

She had stumbled across the anime world much later in her life than most "Otaku" people these days did. Nearly 14. She instantly fell in love with the storytelling, and the music, and the entire culture. As for Yu-Gi-Oh?

She hadn't watched it as a child. Everyone thought that was odd, but she didn't care. "I wouldn't have understood this when I was 7 anyways..." She thought to herself. She had found it now, that that's what mattered. Obsessed? Yes, she was VERY obsessed. She had always been an obsessive person, but this series had really pulled her in. She loved the characters, the story, she even liked the English Dub, to a certain point.

She cosplayed the characters. She Role-played the characters. She made her own Millennium Items. If there was a word for "Insanely obsessed more than seemingly humanly possible" it would fit here.

"Ryou Bakura is online" Skype decided to tell her suddenly. She jumped in surprise and joy at the fact that one of her Role-play friends got online. It was almost time for another long Role-play session! It was summer so they could all stay up later than normal!

"Yami Bakura is online", Skype alerted her. Another good friend!

"Duke Devlin is online" Just in time! This was going to be amazing! She looked for some music to get her in character, the volume on her headphones probably dangerously loud. She was alone in her bedroom, but it didn't bother her since she was talking to several of her friends online. She turned off the lights, reaching, standing on the very tips of her toes to reach the little string hanging from her ceiling fan. "Curse being short!" she thought. With the light off she could see the computer screen better. The darkness of the room didn't bother her either. She was too concentrated on her computer screen to notice the rest of the room anyways.

She jumped. Something...touched her hair? No...That was silly. Nothing touched her, she was in her room all alone, after all. She had really short hair, and headphones over it, so maybe that was it. A cold rush of air... "This stupid house is haunted." She decided, paying it little attention as she was more concerned about what was going on in her Role-play session. This kind of stuff happened all the time, right? Cold air where it didn't belong. Feeling a presence? Hundreds of people said that kind of stuff happened, so it wasn't anything special. Besides that, nothing ever came of it...no strange "paranormal" stuff happened, beyond that. Which, she wouldn't have minded if it did...she kind of _liked_ the paranormal.

She opened her eyes? Computer? Oh...OH! Oh yeah...she was Roleplaying...What time was it? Her computer clock showed 4AM. Oops...she was drifting off at her computer...she clumsily made her way back to her bed, bumping into several things along the way. Why were you always loudest when you were trying to be quiet!? She wondered, as a passing thought. She grabbed her phone, feeling sleep wash over her before she was even IN her bed. Laying her phone beside her, she finally drifted off for good, hoping to dream of something Yu-Gi-Oh related.


	2. Bakura

She rolled over and groaned. Sleep was so nice...where had it gone? She was enjoying it. Her eyes slowly and reluctantly opened and she went into shock for the briefest of seconds. Of course. THIS was home now. It had been nearly 2 years since she had moved. She should be used to a new bedroom by now. Well, at least she was awake now.

What time was it anyways? What day was it? She grabbed beside her, where she knew her phone was...somewhere...Maybe she wasn't as awake as she thought she was...

She reminded herself that she was _18. _WAY too old to still be sad about moving. She had only moved an hour away from home! It wasn't a big deal! Everybody moves! Every day! She heard her grandfather's voice coming from the living room, he didn't sound happy. But then, he never sounded happy. She wiped the tip of her eye, not realizing the tear was there, until she felt it, wet on her hands.

That was only because she had yawned. NOT because she was sad about something as stupid as moving in with your grandparents to help them because they needed it. *BUZZ* *BUZZ* her phone was still on vibrate.

"Bakura", the phone screen announced who had sent the text.

Her face immediately lit up upon seeing it. So, she nicknamed her friends in her phone. It gave life a little fun.

"Hey Pharaoh, you up?" the text read.

She blushed slightly, at the use of her nickname. It was after all, like being called "King". A place of authority she didn't have in "real life".

She looked at the clock, Noon. "Yup!" She wrote back in a text. How out-of-character of her...well, she hoped that "Bakura" hadn't intended to be in character at the moment, or her reply would seem odd. This person in her phone as "Bakura" was her best friend.

*BUZZ* *BUZZ* There was the reply.

"Ah, so it's the vessel." the text read. She blinked. Then she remembered, they had been having this little competition to see who could make the other believe a character was actually the one texting them first. It was amazing fun. And Bakura, was VERY good at it.

"You." She replied simply over text. This was a GOOD start to her day. She climbed out of bed, and observed her surroundings. She looked longingly at the Millennium Puzzle that hung on the side of her bed. She had made it herself, but valued it highly all the same. It had been a long time since she'd had a good excuse to actually wear it. She didn't want to wear it around the house in fear of breaking it. It was only poster board and glue, after all, and unlike the "real" items, was very likely to break.

She reached out and touched it, wondering if she looked dramatic doing so. Nothing special happened. She was kind of hoping it would. Oh well, back to reality.

*BUZZ* *BUZZ* "Bakura", or maybe not so much, she thought as she smiled, reading that the text was indeed, from Bakura.

"This time, you are far more correct than you realize." the text read. 'Bakura' was VERY good at this. "What are you talking about?" She replied, hoping to get more information out of him this time. Ahhh yes, how she loved Role Play in the morning. Maybe this was why her head was always up in the clouds, never tied down to reality. Nah, she was going to be up in the clouds regardless.

*BUZZ* *BUZZ* She opened the text quickly, enjoying every minute of this sudden Role Play session. "This time, you are indeed talking to the person whose name I know is listed as this contact in that phone." Ahh, and so 'Bakura' was going to try to convince her today. "And so I wasn't talking to you all the times before?" She typed back, hoping for a long reply. They had many "in character" conversations such as this one before. She found all of them to be an insane about of fun, even if her friend's perfect-in-character texts as "Yami Bakura" did scare her, from time to time.

Pajamas. She was still wearing Pajamas.

She slipped a 'Hetalia' shirt over her head and prepared for the rest of the day. She saw herself in the mirror in the bathroom and did a double take. "How does my hair accomplish this?" she wondered. It was standing up at impossible angles, the blonde highlights she had done, fading, but still there, sticking off of her head in a seemingly gravity defying manner.

She wasn't even going to brush through that. Nope. Not even doing it. She ran her hands through her light brown, boy-short hair, marveling at the fact that it always seemed to have a mind of its own. She threw some earrings on, mostly just so the holes in her ears didn't close up, and decided to venture into the rest of her house, to see what was for breakfast.

Approaching the door to the kitchen, she heard shuffling, then a grunt. Her grandfather was in there. She slowly backed away, hoping she could escape back to her room before anyone noticed she was there in the first place. It's not that she was afraid of him, she just didn't want to get caught in a conversation.

Having escaped back to her bedroom, she realized that she had left her phone in there! "Two unread messages" Both from 'Bakura'

She scrolled through the messages to see the entire conversation all at once.

"Ah, so it's the vessel."

"You."

"This time, you are far more correct than you realize."

"What are you talking about?"

"This time, you are indeed talking to the person whose name I know is listed as this contact in that phone."

"And so I wasn't talking to you all the times before?"

And then the two new texts that she hadn't read yet.

"Not exactly, although I did heavily influence those conversations. Do you remember how it was said that things were going to occur?"

"Well _Hikari_, pay attention, because things are starting. Things I wouldn't want you to miss."

This was impressive. Hikari? What was that about? Ah well. She tried to think of a decent answer.

"I am paying attention...I haven't noticed anything "occurring"...", she wrote back, hoping that made sense.

She sat down at her computer after arriving home, and rushing to her room. Nothing interesting had happened in town, just the normal mall, full for normal things, for normal people. She wanted desperately to jump into the world of RolePlay, where things _weren't _normal and nearly anything could happen. 'Bakura' had never answered her earlier...she hoped everything was ok, and maybe she had just gotten busy with something...

As she sat down, she noticed the perfect timing at which Skype said "Yami Bakura is Online". Her face lit up. "HI!" She typed, hoping for a quick response.

"Hey!" the response came in the same minute.

"So, that conversation earlier. That was impressive! You had me believing you there for a second."

"What are you talking about?" came the response, just as quick this time. That was odd though. It sent wonder through her mind and fired up her imagination.

"You know, the in character one!" "Things are starting-" THAT conversation. I was impressed! Very in character!" Her imagination was soaring now, and she had to calm it down. Her music playing far-too-loudly through her headphones again.

"I didn't think we HAD one of those conversations today, did we?"

She didn't remember? How could her friend not have remembered...unless...NO. 'Imagination. That's enough, calm down.' she instructed it, feeling her head start to float to the clouds where it so liked to stay.

"Oh come on, surely you remember it...right?" She tried to stay at least a little tied to reality, but she could feel the clouds swirling around her brain, well, metaphorically speaking, of course.

"No...Actually, I don't...and I'm not just kidding either...I seriously don't remember that...so...you're just messing with me, right?" This...this was odd...no, surely 'Bakura' was the one messing with her...one of them can't have possibly forgotten the conversation...

"Come on 'Kura. You're pullin' my leg... Seriously though, it was an awesome conversation! Very in character."

"No, honestly, I don't remember. You said it was today, right? Lemme check my phone and see if I see-" The message left off there. Well, it WOULD be in her phone, since the conversation WAS today and had left off quite abruptly.

"Did you find it?"

"yeah...I...I know we were trying to convince each other and everything, so you might think I'm messing with you here, but I HONESTLY don't remember typing any of that.."

This excited her beyond belief. She loved these kinds of things. Paranormal, unexplained, NOT normal things.

"Really? But then...who did?"


	3. Who's there?

She tried to sit up straight in her chair. It wasn't working. Her music teacher would have gotten on to her for this. She slouched back down into a comfortable position. "My Role Play character would never sit like this..." she thought to herself. And she tried to sit up straight again. Nope. It wasn't happening.

'Bakura' still hadn't remembered the conversation she knew they had. Or, if she did, she was pretending she didn't. The whole thing just seemed...she thought honestly..._exciting._ What if that was really "Yami Bakura" she spoke to? No, that's exactly what the object of the game was! That's what she was _supposed_ to be thinking at that point! But the thought still excited her.

She so often wished it was real. Wished _something _was real. Something... fantasy. Something..._abnormal. _It was part of why she loved anime so much. And Games. Kingdom Hearts being her favorite. She loved to Role Play. To become someone else for a little while.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by the buzzing of her phone. Why hadn't she turned the text tone back on yet? It was Twitter. She sighed in annoyance. Twitter, had interrupted her train of thought. Where was that train going, anyways? She wished it was going to Japan...and maybe it'd have Miku Hatsune on the side of it...

She shook her head, realizing that her train of thought was going _nowhere. _It was just kind of wandering around aimlessly like it so liked to do. And when that happened, one more likely than not, stumbled upon old memories. Old memories that may or may not have been something she wanted to replay at the moment.

Old memories like...like the day they moved in...

It was Thanksgiving Day. But it was the least pleasant day she could remember for a while. It was the day she thought her life was falling apart and-

She pulled herself out of that memory. "Don't be stupid" she told herself. "It was stupid. Nothing."

"This is what happens when I let my mind wander..." she thought, holding back a tear that didn't belong there. It was nothing. It hadn't really been that bad of a day...

She quickly turned around, having felt a hand on her shoulder, but to her shock, there was no one there...

She quickly began to rationalize it. "I imagined that. I have an overactive imagination..." But she had really felt it, that time...it felt...supportive...comforting...

She'd have to tell 'Bakura' about that, when she got online. Right now, the little green Skype bubble that represented the amount of online-ness was a green rim, full of white. Offline. It was a sad sight, indeed.

Her brother suddenly burst into her room, "Hey" he said before he was even in the door,

She jumped. About a foot. What was wrong with her today?

"HAH! Did I scare you? Jumpy today, are you?" Her brother said, feeling proud he had managed to scare his older sibling.

"No! I was just...startled..."

"Oh yeah, where'd you leave my-" She stopped paying attention as her brother named some random object of his...

"OI! HANNAH. HEY!" She was jolted out of her thought process again by his yelling. "Eh?" She replied, slightly annoyed at having been yelled at.

"Where. Is. My. Pocket watch?"

"Uhh, I don't know!" She replied, somewhat honestly. She didn't want to have to search her memory for the thing.

Her brother sighed, "You can't remember anything, can you? What did you eat for breakfast yesterday?"

"Uhhh..." She searched her memory for...for what? No. She had no idea. Breakfast? Yesterday? That seemed Soooooo long ago...and it was irrelevant! Who cared what she had for breakfast **yesterday**? Her memory never really did work properly.

Plus she got distracted easily...what was her brother in here for again?

* * *

She had gone to bed already. Nothing of interest had happened that day either. She was laying there...thinking...when, she felt something...a presence? But...that didn't make sense...nobody was in her room...and yet, there was a presence...a strong one...right beside her…and just as fast as it seemed to appear, it was gone.

* * *

Who am I? Where am I? Was I asleep? Who's that?

She woke up entirely disoriented. Her bedroom...this was her bedroom...that's right...she continued to look around, kind of confused...this was her bedroom...her...she was Hannah...the nerdy, kind of annoying chick, who was short and fun-loving.

That's right...She was asleep...she had dreamed...memories? Not any specific memories...just...memories... and she had been so deep within them, that to wake up felt odd. Once she remember who and where she was, she brushed off the experience as something odd and unforgettable, but not something that didn't happen from time to time...she must have been in a really deep sleep.

Time to get ready for another day.

She turned to see her Millennium Puzzle replica hanging on her bed, where it belonged. It sounded stupid, but she slept easier if it was close to her. Wow, she was obsessed. She wondered if it was unhealthy...

"I'm gonna wear the Puzzle today.." she thought. "Why? No reason...just...because I feel like it." She answered her own question. She walked across the room, slipped a clean shirt on, and then slipped the chain of the Puzzle over her head.

It was always at that point that she thought something magical should happen. It never did, though. She liked the feeling of it, hanging around her neck. Even if it wasn't "real". Even if it contained no "real" magic. It still felt cool. It had become a habit to play with the chain links while she was in deep thought. When she wore it for any length of time at all, she would become used to it, and start to reach for it subconsciously.

But today, she was going to wear it. For no "real" reason at all.

She wondered what those texts from "Bakura" had meant. The time that her friend couldn't remember sending them.

"Well Hikari, pay attention, because things are starting. Things I wouldn't want you to miss."

He had called her "Hikari"...that didn't make sense... that wasn't something she was commonly called. She did understand its use in the fandom, but what had it meant there?

She was the type of person who was likely to talk to herself. And lately, she was the type of person to answer herself as well. Be it out loud, or in her head. These conversations took place once in a while. She often would pretend that two dueling opinions in her head were two different characters. It was helpful for practicing Role Play. She would think something, and then she would think a character's response to it.

Often it was something she knew she shouldn't be doing, but was doing anyways. She sometimes found herself wondering what her character would think of her actions. It had started one day, when she had her music up particularly loud. "What would he think?" She thought to herself, almost hearing his reply. "They aren't even on your head yet, and I can already hear the music. Don't you think that will damage your ears?"

And then she would reply to herself, "Don't worry...I'll be fine. All teenagers do it."

She would do this once every so often, knowing she was doing it, for Role Play practice.

Until one day, she didn't know she was doing it. It was just...happening...she always knew she would end up in the nut house, but she had always figured she would make it to 20 first!

She concentrated, thinking "maybe if I focus I can see if it really is just me answering myself...or something else..." She kind of hoped it was something else...

There were no words said, but someone was there. Not only was someone there, they were letting their presence be known. The feeling was overwhelming at first. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. And yet...it was so...familiar...

Before she even had time to process that thought, it was gone...leaving her to wonder if she had imagined it this time or not...until, /You didn't./...

Unless she imagined that too...surely she had imagined it...there couldn't really be someone there?

This was silly! What was she thinking?! It was a TV SHOW. Not real. As much as she wished it was, it wasn't REAL. /Define "real"./

...did she think that? Yeah...that had to be her... She put her headphones on, blasting the music loudly, wondering to herself if she wanted to drown out the thoughts or not...


	4. Nightmares and daydreams

"You really think you'll get away with this?" He glared at the spirit of the Ring, all of his anger showing in his red-purple eyes.

"Oh, but I already have, Pharaoh! Look around!"

-Ryou Bakura is typing- ((Hang on guys, I gotta to do something, I'll be right back.))

She sat back in her chair and sighed. Another RolePlay session going fantastically. Then again, when did they not? This break would give her time to think of something good to reply.

She spent that time going back through a FanFiction website, wishing that people would update them faster... She had read a good one that hadn't been updated...what was it, last week? Yeah, that one about the RPG...she would like to have finished it...they only ever posted the first chapter... she wondered why somebody would post a first chapter and then not finish...

She jumped at the "pop" sound in her headphones. A private message on Skype!

"Yami Bakura"

"is it weird that I'm totally sitting here, wearing the Ring?"

They did this kind of thing all the time. They had both helped in creating the replica Millennium Ring.

"Only if it's weird that I'm sitting here wearing the Puzzle :3" She typed in return. It was true, she was wearing the puzzle. She sometimes wondered if she looked insane with a block of golden painted poster board hanging from her neck, but she didn't care, even if it did look insane. She was going to wear it anyway.

"So, anything cool and magical happen yet?"

Well, no. Not _really_ not unless you counted talking to yourself "magical".

"Nope. How 'bout you, anything weird?"

"Nope."

The Role Play session continued and lasted for a few more hours, before she finally went to bed.

* * *

She woke up drenched in sweat, and put her hand to her head. "I thought I was finished with those dreams..." She thought. A reoccurring dream. A Nightmare. It had seemed OK at first. She was at "home"...the place she had moved from a couple of years ago. Since it HAD been a couple of years, she thought she would stop having the nightmares. She had watched her beloved dog get hit by a car again. She had tried to run and save him, in the dream, but of course, it being a nightmare, she couldn't move. She couldn't even move... she was shaking slightly, as the dream had lingered into her waking moments, and the paralyzing fear had felt only too real. She wiped her eyes, drying tears she must have cried while she was asleep.

She felt...pitiful. Still shaking from the sheer real-ness of the nightmare. When there it was again. That presence. It surprised her, and made her sit straight up. She looked around. There was nobody there... she was alone...then what was this? What was it she was feeling...?

It was most certainly, undeniably, _there_. A presence...a strong one...

And yet it was...comforting...

But it was overwhelming again...like the first time she had felt it, but still...familiar…

It didn't go away this time...no this time it was still there... _he _was still there…

"Who...who are you?" She whispered, slightly intimidated by the feeling that someone was there, in her room with her. She got the sudden thought that she didn't need to know..."No, I...I want to know..." She again got the feeling that she didn't need to know... was this...communication?

"You're...you're there...right? How do I know that you're really there? Am I imagining this...?" She questioned the air. Well, it was better than doing nothing.

Seemingly in response, the presence grew stronger. The feeling was almost frightening. In fact, it _did_ scare her a little, until the feeling of comfort came over her. Just...comfort...the feeling that...everything was going to be alright...

She realized how tired she suddenly felt. A big change from a minute ago, when she felt wide awake despite how late it was. She yawned and then whispered, "Are you doing this...?" _Yes._ An answer...but less in the form of words or an actual voice, and more in the form of a strong feeling...it slightly worried her, being suddenly tired...but in a strange way, she was grateful...

_Yes...it's going to be alright. Sleep now. I'll watch over you..._

She was drifting off as she felt those last feelings, she still had questions, but she was so tired...

* * *

She woke up to the *Buzz* *Buzz* of her phone. What happened...? Dreamless sleep...long, peaceful, dreamless sleep...But last night...there was something...did she dream it? No, her sleep was dreamless...after that. After that moment...

She sleepily searched for her phone. "Bakura"

"Hey, you up? I wanted to ask you something." She looked around for the clock. 10:00.

"Sure, sup?" She typed back, hoping she hadn't done something wrong. She looked around her room. It was the same as it always was. Morning sunlight filtered through her binds, and her ceiling fan ran on high, keeping her cool in the summer heat.

*Buzz* *Buzz* "Bakura" She picked her phone up, quickly sliding the android unlocked to read the text.

"Is everything...alright?"

She was kind of nervous...maybe she _had_ done something wrong...what did 'Bkaura' mean by that..? She texted back quickly, hoping she hadn't done anything to offend or worry her friend.

"Yeah...why?"

-sending...10:09AM- the phone said, letting her know that her message sent. She slowly stood up, stretching and yawning. She walked to the middle of the room, standing on the tips of her toes to reach the little string on her fan that turned the light on. *Buzz* *Buzz*

"Bakura"

"No reason...I...I just wondered if everything was...the same..."

What was she _talking_ about? This didn't make sense...

"What do you mean...?" she typed back in hopes that she would begin to understand her friend's texts. She walked over to her dresser and sorted through T-shirts, finally deciding on an anime graphic-T for the day, and slipping it over her head.

*Buzz* *Buzz*

"I just...do you feel any...different?" What? This was just odd...different? Could 'Bkaura' know about last night? No, they hadn't talked since then...what was going on?

She stood in the middle of her room, confirming her answer. No...She didn't feel different...There had been something odd last night, but it was gone now...

"No...Not really...why?" she replied.

The reply came a few minutes later, *Buzz* *Buzz*, "Bakura"

"No reason...forget I asked..."


	5. Do I know you?

Her friend hadn't called or text, or even been online on Skype or any other social media for nearly three days. She was getting nervous. Did she do something wrong for real this time? The last conversation they had was odd...

"I just...do you feel any...different?" Different? What had she meant by different?

Something was going on. But what? This was her best friend she was talking about, she really hoped she hadn't done anything wrong to the point that they wouldn't be speaking...

Even though she didn't like being the one to start a conversation, she finally decided to send a text to 'Bakura'. She called her friend 'Bakura'. It was just a nickname. In turn, the rest of the group called her "Pharaoh", which managed to make her blush every time. They all had nicknames. It was just something their group did.

"Hey, I just wondered-" She composed the text, trying to think of what to say. Backspace. "Hey, did I do someth-" backspace. How to say this.. She wasn't shy but she didn't like to be the first one to start the conversation...

"Hey, how are you? Is everything ok?",She finally typed and sent. She desperately hoped everything was alright. The reply came surprisingly fast, after only a few minutes.

"Yeah, everything's fine Hannah." She had used her name...in a text...after they hadn't talked for days...something was wrong, something was **definitely **wrong. Nearly shaking with worry, she typed back, "Are you sure?", and sent it.

She kept a close eye on her phone as she prepared to leave the house and go to the mall. Less for the fun, and more just because she wanted to get out of the house.

*Buzz* *Buzz*, "Bakura" She picked up the phone, fumbling with the touch screen's sliding lock, trying to get to the text as quickly as possible.

"Yeah, I'm sure. What's wrong?" Slipping her shoes on and heading out the door, she didn't even think or backspace, and just typed whatever flowed from her mind.

"I..I just...it's been a while since we've talked and I...are you sure everything's ok?"

-sending, 2:15PM- her phone showed at the corner of the text. Something was wrong...she had done something or something...

* * *

She checked her phone while walking through one of the upper floors of the mall, "3:25, no new messages."

She saw her friend before her friend turned around to see her. Hannah was usually pretty good at reading expressions, but this confused her. When her taller friend turned around to notice her, her eyes widened in surprise, which she expected, but instead of returning Hannah's smile, her eyes looked in either direction around her, as if seeking an escape, and then she looked...sad? That didn't make any sense... Unless she really _had_ done something wrong.

Carefully approaching her friend as her smile faded, she realized that she was at a loss for words, so she just waved a bit and said the only one that would come to mind.

"Hi."

Her friend smiled and responded, "Oh! Hey, er, Hannah!" She had stumbled over her name...that was odd... Her friend then blushed and looked slightly embarrassed, reaching for something in her pocket, her fairly short brown hair falling into her face as she looked down and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Oh! I never answered your text, did I? I'm sorry...I got a little...distracted..."

"No, that's ok.." She started to answer slowly, wondering what was wrong, "I just...what's wrong? I know something's wrong...just...did I do something, or say something?"

Her friend's small quick intake of air came right as she was asking, and she quickly replied, "What? oh! No! Not at all! Nothing is wrong- Hannah." She tripped over her name again...that wasn't like her...none of this was like her, really. The conversation felt tense and scripted whereas when they normally talked it was all completely comfortable and open...

"You're sure?"

Her friend smiled again, but it was...empty. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Alright then...if you're sure...wanna walk with me?" She still wanted to see what was wrong, and maybe she was just overthinking this whole thing. Overreacting...

Her friend glanced around the room again, as if looking for someone, and then turned back to her and said, "Sure!"

They walked for a while in silence. Things seemed to be normal. Maybe she was just overthinking things...So she tested the water. With a smirk on her face, she said, "So, get into any good Shadow Games lately?"

"NO!", slight panic was in her friend eyes, "Um..I mean...no...oh... _oh_...um..heheh..." That reaction was **not** what she expected. It was also weird on several levels.

Awkward silence. They kept walking, stopping occasionally to look at something of interest, but continuing through the mall.

It was so sudden. They had just been walking beside each other, a couple of feet apart when suddenly, her friend shouted, "No!"

It wasn't loud enough to attract **too** much attention, but it had been unexpected, and it didn't make sense. Her friend looked at her with pain and fear in her eyes, and quietly at first, she said, "Run."

"Wh-what?" She asked, startled at her friend's request, and she stood there, confused and unsure of what to do.

"RUN!"

Her friend's second response came a bit louder, her head in her hands, looking truly distressed. Hannah didn't move. She stood in the same spot, still confused at what was happening.

"Just...just go!"

"But...I...why?", admittedly, she felt the urge to cry. This was her friend, whom she thought she knew, acting strange and telling her to run. It didn't make sense. None of this made sense.

"I don't have...", she paused and cringed, "-time to explain. Just...just go...please...quickly..."

None of this made sense. None of this day made sense. None of this situation made any sense. The more she thought about it, the less sense anything made. The room was ever so slightly spinning.

"I...Ryou..."

And that, made the least sense of all. What did she just say? The words had just slipped out of her mouth, and it took her a minute to realize what she herself had just said. She backed away a couple of steps. "I...I'm sorry...I..", a couple more steps back. She shook her head a bit as she tripped over her words, "I...I don't know...what I was..."

"It's alright." Came the response, a little bit more calm and gentle. Her friend looked at her, this time her eyes soft and hopeful, as Hannah backed away further. She smiled at her, this time it being genuine and warm, and said, "Oh..and Yu-...Hannah?"

Hannah stopped walking. She looked at her friend expectantly, hoping she wouldn't have to speak again, as she was so confused already.

"I hope you win."


	6. Introductions

My first ever Author's Note:

I feel that my writing has improved with the creation and continuation of this story, and I hope you'll all see improvement as time goes on. A lot of important things are revealed in this chapter, and I'd just like to remind you all that this is not, nor will it ever be, Original CharactersxCanon characters. Not ever. That's not what kind of story this is. I switched writing programs with this chapter, so I hope it's a little more sturdy, and less amateur seeming. Now, enough of my rambling and on to the main event! ~

Her head throbbed dully. A caffeine headache. Well, that wasn't the only reason. What had happened yesterday kept running through her head. She remembered her utter confusion, and her friend's odd behavior, and slipping and calling her friend something…Ryou? That didn't make sense. Why would she slip that? Her friend's nickname was "Bakura" not "Ryou". So why would she slip and say that? The room had been spinning at the time, due to her confusion and…something else?

Something odd was definitely going on. But references to a TV show? That's just stupid. It's a TV show! Ok, what about before it was a TV show? It was a Manga. But it didn't actually happen! It didn't exist! Well, the places existed, to an extent. Japan existed. Egypt certainly existed. For that matter, even the card game itself, "Duel Monsters" existed. But it all came from someone's mind! From Takahashi Sensei's mind! But that didn't change the fact that something was happening.

She still felt it. Different than before, but still there. A presence. Perhaps he didn't want her to know he was there, because she only felt it very slightly, but she did feel it, and she did notice. This was all too bizarre. But it was happening. Wasn't it? It was hard to describe the way she knew someone was there, but she did. She remembered the night after the nightmares, when she finally started to get answers. She wanted more answers. She remembered the first real answer she had gotten from the "presence". She was suddenly at peace that night, and tired. So upon deciding that he actually existed, she asked, "Are you doing this?" and had gotten a response. It wasn't in the form of a voice, or even an image, but a feeling. It was an odd experience, but she liked getting answers. Things were getting so confusing lately…

So, still feeling someone there, she decided to ask another question, hoping for a clear answer this time.

"Who are you?"

The presence backed off, as if annoyed at being caught. It was as if he was never there to begin with. She started to wonder, "Am I crazy?" and just as she'd had time to really consider this, he was back, a little stronger this time, and accompanied with…a laugh? A chuckle. As if she had said something funny. Like an adult, laughing at a child who had just said something all too wise for their age. A knowing laugh.

"_**You're not crazy." **_

A voice? An actual voice! Male. Strong. Familiar? She knew that voice. No. She shook that thought off. No, it wasn't _real. _A voice. They were speaking, then? Wait, she hadn't _said_ out loud the part about her being crazy, she had_ thought _it. Did that mean? No. This wasn't a TV show. This wasn't a fan fiction. This was real life. But she had heard the voice either way, so she dared to ask again.

"Who are you?"

"_You already know who I am, but I'll still show you, if it's what you want." _

She already knew? What did he mean? No, she couldn't already know…just because he sounded like… no, he wasn't. She was terrified of the fact that she was actually hearing voices, but she wanted information just the same. So she made it clear that she_ did_ want to know who he was, and she said,

"Please."

His presence grew stronger, similar to what she'd felt before, but even stronger. It overwhelmed her in every way possible, and she gasped slightly, in shock. She turned on instinct to see him, just standing there, his image slightly transparent like you'd expect of a ghost or_ spirit. _

At first she thought it was a joke. Thought it was a costume, or maybe she was just dreaming. There was someone she was very familiar with, standing in her darkened bedroom, looking as if it was something completely normal.

What really shocked her was how absolutely _**real **_he looked. He was NOT an animation, NOT a cartoon, and NOT a costume. That hair wasn't a wig, and everything on his outfit looked entirely real. He was most definitely male, and not a female in a costume. His eyes really were a deep purple/red that she hadn't thought possible.

She stared at him for a minute, taking in all that she was seeing. So she was right? It _was_ his voice? But how? It wasn't real. It wasn't real… But there he was. Yami Yugi, The Pharaoh, standing right in front of her. She knew it wasn't a costume because _nobody _could possibly look that much like a character. His hair was natural looking. How he could pull off "natural" with blonde bangs and red highlights in the top of black spikes, she may never know, but he did. He was wearing a black tank top, and she noticed the multiple belts she knew he wore, as she scanned his figure for inaccuracy. This couldn't be real. It just couldn't.

His stance was as it should be, strong and confident and without a single ounce of fear. His expression an odd one, for the circumstances. He wore a slight smile. A knowing smile. Almost a sad smile. His almond shaped Egyptian eyes with that abnormal color in them looked soft at the moment, but she knew that in anger, they would become piercing and hard and frightening. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of his glare.

The last thing her eyes fell on, and certainly the thing that stood out the most, was the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, on a chain that looked heavy. It was beautiful. No costume prop could combat the accuracy and beauty of the piece. It shined golden, even in the darkness of her bedroom, and it looked perfect. Without flaw.

Her eyes large in surprise, traveled up to meet his again, the thoughts in her head all consisting of 'I'm dreaming. This isn't real. This has to be a dream.'

"_You're not dreaming, ai-.."_ He cut himself off and started again, _"You're not dreaming."_

His words startled her out of her thought process. His voice was perfect. It fit him perfectly. She was utterly shocked. She had so many questions. But how could this be real? Surely it wasn't real?...

"_I'm as real as you are." _He said, his lips curling into a soft smile, _"Just a little less…alive." _

She would question that, only, she couldn't just see him there, it was like she _FELT_ that he was there. She had so many questions…her mind racing so much she couldn't focus on any single one to ask it. 'Alright.' She thought, 'Say this isn't a dream, and he really is here…he really does EXIST…why?' 'Does this have anything to do with yesterday?'

"_Yes, in a way, it does." _He was answering her _**thoughts**_. He could hear her thoughts…

"You can hear my-" _"Yes."_ He cut her off, thus proving his point.

"Does that mean we're…?"

"_We are connected. You'll understand better later." _

This was…It didn't make any sense. None of it made any sense. She was standing in front of someone, who she believed to only exist on TV, in anime, a world that didn't exist. Nothing made sense lately…So many questions. She had so many questions still running through her head. But then, if he could hear her thoughts, he knew that already.

"_I can't answer a lot of your questions right away, but it will all start to make sense in time." _

She was still in shock. It was perfect. Nobody could imitate a character this perfectly. Could it really be real?

"_But,"_ He started, a sudden look of sadness crossing his face, _"It's going to get harder before then." _

This statement scared her a little. It was going to get harder? She found herself in complete confusion. Every day the world made a little less sense, and she had no idea where this was going. Maybe she had finally lost it. Finally gone insane. That's it. None of this was real, it was all hallucinations. She was seeing things because she had gone insane.

She looked back up at him. He looked very real, despite being slightly ghost-like and transparent.

"_I think you deserve a fair warning. Things are going to get hard from here." _

Her eyes were wide, like a little kid, on their first trip to Disney World. She wondered if it made her look young. She always did look younger than she was in reality. She stared up at him, still in shock, trying to take in his last sentence. Just as she knew to be true of his character, everything he said was meaningful. He didn't speak unless he had full reason to. But if this was all so accurate to the "TV Show", she started to wonder about-

"If you can hear my thoughts, then do you…do you watch me? Is it like…well, is it like what I know about you?"

"_Most of what you think you know about me is probably true. Yes, I watch over you." _

"How can you be real?" She blurted out. "It's just a TV show! You're…you're not real…you're a character…created by a dude in Japan…besides that, the series ended a long time ago…it ended…"

She immediately felt bad for her outburst, but what was there to feel bad about, if he wasn't real? And even if he was, he could hear her thoughts anyway, right? So he would know most of that already. It didn't seem to bother him, either way.

"_You're partly correct. Here, it is just a work of fiction, and here, it did end." _

'Here'? What did he mean 'Here'? Was there anywhere else? It was slowly dawning on her. Realization. He was here, standing in front of her. And whether or not she was imagining it, it was very real to her at the moment. She suddenly thought back to an earlier point of the conversation, and it struck her how important it might have been.

"You said it's going to get harder? …What did you mean?"

He looked at her with a touch of, was it sympathy? Sadness? Guilt?

"_Things are about to get…difficult. Although I can't do as much as I wish I could to help you, I will be here." _

At those words, she felt… comforted… and different... Almost as if some unknown part of her needed to hear something, so almost without realizing she had done it, she asked,

"Always?"

"_Always." _

_**Itsumo.**_


	7. I'm not ready

Authors Note:

So, I was debating on continuing this. Since I already had this and the next couple of chapters written out, I decided I might as well.

I suppose I should state at some point that I don't own YuGiOh. If I did, it would have a lot more Ryou Bakura in it.

This chapter is considerably longer than any in my past, at 2548 words. I will warn you all now, that the next chapter is even longer, and is nearly triple the length of any chapters in my past. I was going to split it up into two, or several, but I just can't find a good place in it to do so. So I hope you all don't mind.

I hope that anyone still reading this is enjoying it, and I assure you that it is going somewhere, and does have an overall plot.

Well, without any of my further rambling, here it is, Chapter 7. (I've yet to title them all.)

* * *

She had gone to bed soon after their conversation last night. It was a lot to take in. A 'fictional' character actually existed? Not only did he exist, but she was connected to him, and he could hear her thoughts? She had a lot more questions, but it was late when they started talking, and she quickly felt overwhelmed, so she fell asleep.

She woke up confused, trying to remember the events of last night. Was it a dream? It was a dream. No, it couldn't have been… She decided to test this theory. He said he was watching, right? She couldn't feel anyone's presence, and there she lay, in her bed, as if none of it had ever happened. As if everything was back to normal. It almost made her afraid to talk to the air, as she was planning, because she knew she looked insane. Was she insane?

"Are…you there?"

A moment of nothing. A moment of being entirely and completely alone, and then he was there. A strange wave of relief washed over her. He was there. She felt it. She didn't know why that thought comforted her so much, but it did. She knew she should have been afraid, at least a little, and she was, but not the kind of afraid that she had expected of herself.

"_I'm here. You still have questions." _ The last part was formed as a statement, but not in a rude way, just in a knowing way. He knew she still had questions, and hopefully, he was prepared to answer them. At least a couple of them.

"Yes, if that's al-"

"_You don't have to speak out loud." _His words were soft, and had he not mentioned it, she wouldn't have noticed, but they were more like…thoughts… It was in her head. That made her wonder for a second if she really had gone crazy, before answering him.

'Oh yeah, you can hear my thoughts, right?' she tested.

_Yes. _

It was an answer without words again. It was a feeling. But it was still communication, and that's all she needed. Suddenly she realized, 'I'm sorry… if you can hear all my thoughts…well, my thoughts have kinda been all over the place lately….going fast and...' she trailed off, which was easier to do in a thought than it was in voice.

"_It's alright. It's easier if you direct them at me." _ She appreciated this advice, and the fact that her swirling thoughts last night hadn't made him angry or something… She didn't want to see him angry.

'Can I…ask a few more questions..?'

_Yes. _

The answer with no words again. That in of itself brought on a question.

'That's a feeling...' she noted, 'If I can feel something from you, do you feel my feelings?'

"_Yes. This will get easier for you in time. You'll learn how to shield thoughts and feelings from me, if you don't wish me to see them." _

'Does that mean that right now, you can feel everything I'm feeling…?'

"_Yes." _

'But I'm only feeling what you want me to feel of yours…?'

"_Correct." _

So many questions. She still had so many questions, and the longer she was awake, it seemed like they kept adding up, even with some answered, more were surfacing in her mind to ask.

'So…we're linked…Just like in the…well, in the TV show? Like in the Manga? Like you and Yugi..?'

"_More than you know." _Came his answer quickly. Always so mysterious. Always only almost making sense. But, she had more questions, so she didn't stop to think about it for too long. She tried to organize her thoughts, thinking of which questions to ask, and which to save for later.

The question suddenly hit her. And she was almost scared to learn the answer, but she had to ask. If their link was like in the show, then- 'If you wanted…could you…' She tried to think of the right words, 'Could you possess me..?' She questioned carefully but bluntly. There was a pause before his answer, as if he had to think about it.

"_Yes. But I won't." _There was a pause again and both of them were quiet until he added, _"At least, not yet." _

'But you could…?' she asked slowly, very curious about this particular subject.

"_Yes. I could." _

This answer chilled her just a little bit. That was an interesting thought. Almost a frightening thought. But it did bring to light another question. She turned to look at the Millennium Puzzle replica hanging on her bed. She wasn't wearing it.

'So, does it have any meaning, then? If we can talk like this, and like last night, and I wasn't wearing it, does that mean you're not connected to it..?'

"_There is a long, more complicated version of this answer, but the simple answer is no. For the time being, I'm not. I can tell you more about that subject later." _

That answer satisfied her for now. She would ask about it again later, and maybe he would give her the full answer. Now for her big question.

'So…the other day…at the mall…were you there? You said you watch over me, right? Were you there when that…weird stuff happened?'

"_I was there."_

'Why didn't you…you know…say anything?'

"_I didn't want to interfere. Your mind was in a state of turmoil so severe that you lost your sense of self for a moment. You didn't need something else shocking to have to consider." _

'Oh…'

The next questions were important, and hopefully they would answer some, if not all, of the strange things that were going on.

'What…what was that? I know something weird happened…The way my friend was acting…did that have anything to do with…this? When I slipped…what was that? I still don't understand…'

There was a pause again, as if this answer would require more thought, or perhaps, to be handled delicately.

"_I'm not sure if you're ready for the full answer to this question yet. I will tell you that it did have something do to with what's happening now." _

'I…is there anything else you can tell me…? Maybe I am ready for the answer now…' She heard him sigh.

"_Do you remember when you were getting surprisingly accurate messages from your friend? So accurate that you questioned if it was really him." _

It surprised her that he remembered that. She wasn't sure before that he had even been there for that…she wasn't entirely sure when this started…she would ask that question later.

'Yes…wait, are you telling me-'

"_Yes. You were in fact, speaking to the spirit of the Ring." _ It took her a while to process this answer. Why did it surprise her? If he existed, and she was talking to him, why not the spirit of the ring too? But what did this have to do with the mall…unless…

'Why…why was she acting so weird…?'

"_Are you sure you're ready for this answer? I don't think you are ready yet." _

Was she ready for this answer? Wait, why wouldn't she be ready for this answer? No, she needed to know what was going on. This was when the weird things started. This was her big question. This was the important question.

'Please?' She could hear his sigh again.

"_I'm going to give you the simple answer, alright?" _His voice was gentle, despite its normal amount of command and authority.

'Okay…' She was a little nervous now. What answer could possibly be so drastic that she could only have the simple answer, and he was worried about telling her at all? She started to hope it wasn't anything bad, until his answer completely halted her train of thought.

"_Your friend, is Ryou Bakura." _ That didn't make sense. It didn't make sense at all—

'What do you mean she's Ryou Bakura?'

"_I mean," _He started to answer carefully, _"She's not who she thought she was. She was never who she thought she was. She is Ryou Bakura." _ But how…she was never who she thought she was? What did all of this mean? It was confusing…-

'I slipped…I called her Ryou…I was right? Somehow I knew? And I called her Ryou?' The day came flooding back to her mind and it started to make sense. The reactions were characteristic of what she knew about Ryou…but then…that brought up a lot more questions…her friend's, no, Ryou's reaction to her that day… wait a minute. Wait a minute. Her friend was never who she thought she was?

"_Yes, you were right. You knew." _

Her friend was never her friend? Never? This realization stung.

'She was never…her? All the time we spent together…everything we talked about…she's not…that person? She's not the person I knew..?'

"_This is why I didn't think you were ready for the answer. No, she was never that person. She only believed for a little while that she was the person you knew." _

'Ryou…she's Ryou…?'

"_Yes. Ryou Bakura." _

'But, she was telling me to run…telling me to get away…if she's Ryou, does that mean….oh please don't let it mean…'

"_Yes, the Spirit of the Ring is with her." _

She was thinking that over, and thinking about it hard and long when something slipped.

Something slipped in her mind. Something wasn't right. No, _nothing_ was right.

Everything was suddenly very, very wrong. She gasped, looking around her bedroom. Her bedroom? No, it was wrong. This wasn't where she lived… It was hard to breathe. Wrong…everything felt off. She continued to look around frantically trying to understand these new feelings, and the more she looked, the more wrong everything was. This house…it was wrong. Her memories… her childhood memories were wrong. Her body felt wrong. What was happening?

Fear shot though her. What was happening to her? Even English suddenly felt off, Japanese phrases flooding her mind, "Tadiama, Ojii chan!" She remembered yelling one afternoon after school, wait, school?

He was suddenly in front of her, even if he wasn't really there, and it was only his image. His eyes looked worried, and she couldn't feel it, but his hands were on her shoulders. Or, they would have been, had they really been there in the first place.

"What's happening to me….?" She asked out loud, completely and utterly confused. Her voice wavered in fear. A couple of memories replayed themselves vividly in her head without her permission.

/

"Are you sure you can take care of a dog?" her mother asked her one afternoon several years ago. A smile lit up on her face as she knew what this question meant, and her long ponytail swung behind her happily as she answered "Yup!"

/

It felt wrong the entire time she was watching it. Remembering it? That was her memory? Yes. That was her memory. That was her mother, and her hair, her long at the time, ponytail-ed hair.

/

She? Ran home from school as fast as possible that day. It was an important day! Grandpa said something about a new game, and he couldn't wait to see it! Something about cards and monsters! He burst in the door, catching his breath as he tried to yell, "Tadiama, Ojii chan!" and taking off his shoes at the door. After this he would have to call-

/

It abruptly ended, and she gasped as she came out of it. What was that? That last one…it felt…correct…She was dizzy, and she continued to look around her bedroom, everything still feeling wrong.

"Yami," She said, suddenly knowing exactly what to say to him, "What's happening to me…?" Her voice radiated fear, just like last time, but this time she actually heard it, and it was wrong. Why did everything feel…off? Everything but him. He felt…right. Not wrong. Not out of place. What? That didn't make any sense. Every thought in her head was conflicting. Her very emotions were conflicting. She was dizzy, and her head was starting to hurt, but most of all she was just scared. This feeling scared her. It scared her more than anything she had ever experienced. And that's when she realized, she didn't know who she was. Which memories were correct? What was going on?

"Mou Hitori no Boku…" She muttered, thinking the Japanese sounded right, but her voice was still off….wait? Japanese? No, she didn't KNOW that much Japanese.

"Who…who am I…?"

"_Calm down. Everything is going to be alright." _

His voice comforted her.

Then, it ended. It shifted again. Something snapped back into place. She was out of breath, standing in the middle of her bedroom. _Her_ bedroom. It felt…normal now… She was still dizzy. Still confused.

Why had she felt so…what was that feeling? She looked around her. The off feeling was completely gone. This was her room. Her house. Her memories. Her life. That's when she noticed that his image still stood over her, looking worried, but comforting at the same time. How does he do that?

"What…" she asked out loud, completely shaken, "Was that…?"

"_That, was why I didn't want to answer that question yet!" _ His voice wasn't quite angry, more like concerned. But it made her flinch anyway.

"I'm sorry…" She spoke out loud, too shaken and dizzy to try using thoughts. She didn't care if anyone heard her. She had a bad habit of talking to herself anyway.

"_It's alright." _There was a long pause, a silence between the both of them before he said, _"Are you alright?" _

"I think so…" She answered. The fear was wearing off. All of it was wearing off.

"What was that? That wasn't you, right? You didn't do that?"

"_No. Do you remember when I said it was going to get hard from here?" _

"Yes…"

"_That was the beginning." _

* * *

She pulled her phone out of her pocket a couple of hours later. She had finally realized what those texts from her friend might have meant that morning.

/

"I just...do you feel any...different?"

"No...Not really...why?"

"No reason...forget I asked..."

/

It was because that hadn't been her friend. It had been Ryou.

She opened a new message and started typing.

"Hey, Bakura?" She hit send. The reply came faster than she thought it would.

"Hey, it's been a while hasn't it? What's up?" Of course. Ryou still thought she didn't know.

"Would it be alright, if I called you Ryou?" That was to let her know that she knew what was going on.

"What do you mean?" Came the reply, fairly quickly again. Ryou was still playing along, just in case.

"You know how you asked me if I felt different? Well, I kinda do now. Not a lot, but I know what you meant. I'm sorry about how I reacted the other day. I didn't know it was you. But I do now…so, would it be alright if I called you by your first name?"

It was a long text, but it was important. She knew a lot about Ryou. Or at least, she knew what the Manga said, and what people believed. She wasn't sure how much of it was true, but she knew that "Ryou" was his first name, and she knew she liked it better than "Bakura".

*Buzz Buzz* Why was her phone always on vibrate?

"I'd be honored. It's nice to properly meet you, Hannah."

* * *

End of chapter language note:

"Mou Hitori no Boku" from what I understand, is Japanese for "The other me" or "My other self". It is what Yugi calls Yami in the Japanese version of the show/manga occasionally.

I believe "Tadaima" means "I'm home".

And "Ojiisan" is "Grandpa".

I'd also like to take this time to thank my first reviewer, for sticking with me through my first ever fanfiction to be posted to this website.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, and they help me to get better. Think my character is a horrible Mary Sue? Think my writing is choppy and hard to read? Think anything else about my story that could be improved? Tell me in a review, and I'll try to fix it. I can't fix what I don't know is broken. Thank you to everyone who reads this. I really appreciate it, and I hope that you're enjoying reading it, as much as I enjoy writing it.


	8. I'm not him

Author's Note:

I apologize for the length of this chapter. I was trying to keep them uniform in length, but this one turned out much longer.

This one and the next one are a bit cheesy. I apologize for that, and I'll try to write similar moment differently, in the future.

Thank you to everyone who reviews! I really appreciate it!

I haven't proofread this chapter quite as well as the rest, so I also apologize in advance for any spelling, typing, or grammar errors that may occur.

Alright, you all know that I don't own YuGiOh, so enough of my rambling and on to chapter 8! ~

* * *

Every morning she woke up wondering if it was a dream. It hadn't been, so far. So far, it had all been real. Everything she thought could never _be_ real.

She had asked him one Saturday morning when she caught the TV Show on.

'Are you there?'

"_Of course. I'll always be here if you need me." _

His words comforted her in a strange way that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She continued,

'I'm sorry, it's just another stupid question….'

"_It's alright. What do you want to know?" _

She stared at the TV, the 'character' that she now knew personally, being so similar to the one on screen, in all his animated glory. His voice was very similar, nearly exactly the same. But the show made it all look so…unreal. So fake…so…animated…

But she had seen him. More than once. And he was NOT animated.

'I still don't understand…' she started, 'How does this…how do you tie in with the show…? What exactly IS the show, if it's not an animated work of fiction?'

There was silence for a moment, and she knew he was thinking of an answer. She appreciated the fact that he took the time to think of answers for her, so they didn't have a repeat of what happened a few days before. She didn't want to think back to that moment. That fleeting moment in which everything felt wrong, and she didn't know who she was. No, it pained her to remember it. She didn't want it to happen again.

"_From what I'm able to gather, the 'show' here, is a very watered down version of events that really took place. It's this world's representation of what actually happened." _

She thought about this for a moment. So, it actually happened, then? A watered down version…that meant that the 'real' version was a bit different…

'What do you mean, 'this world'?'

"_You wouldn't believe me if I told you." _

She could believe some pretty crazy things. After all, she had come to find that an anime character actually existed. That was pretty crazy. She didn't push, but he kept going anyway, much to her surprise,

"_We're in a game."_ He said suddenly and quite seriously.

Hang on. A game? Was he kidding? No. He didn't kid. She suddenly saw the image of a game shop flash in her head. Like a flashback. It made her…nostalgic? No. That wasn't right.

"_An RPG." _

It flashed before her eyes, almost like she was reliving it.

/

"Do you like games, Bakura-kun?" He asked, looking up at the new boy, with the long brilliant white hair.

"Oh, yes! RPGs are my favorite." His eyes lit up, showing his passion for the gaming world.

"Maybe we can play one together soon!" 'Bakura-kun seems to be almost as passionate about games as I am!' he thought, a smile lighting up his own face as he smiled back at the white haired boy.

/

Ryou? Was that Ryou Bakura she had just seen? She knew what he looked like in the show, in the manga, but this was different. This Ryou was real. His long pure white hair was more realistic than any wig she had ever seen. But what was that? It felt like…a memory? But that hadn't been her voice…she had spoken it, but it hadn't been her voice…it sounded familiar but…no. No. That was wrong. It wasn't her. It wasn't her memory, and that wasn't her voice. She had not spoken to Ryou Bakura, and that was not her memory.

"_It __**was**__ your memory." _

'You…saw that?'

"_Yes. You're remembering." _

'No…it wasn't mine.'

"_Do you remember your name?" _

'Hannah.' But for a moment, she was uncertain. She could hear someone calling her. Calling her by another name. No. No, that wasn't her name. Her name was Hannah. That's all it had ever been, and that's all it would ever be.

"_No. Your real name." _

/

"Yu-_!"

/

'No…'

"_You do remember it, don't you." _The last part really came across more like a statement than a question.

'No…I….s-stop…'

What WAS her name? No, no, she knew her name. She had always known her name. But did she really?

"_It's alright to remember." _

He was right. Her name felt foreign. Wrong. Did she remember another name? Yes…maybe… No! No, she was Hannah. She was Hannah and no one else. She was starting to get scared again, afraid of the way she was feeling. She didn't like this feeling at all.

'I…..Yami….stop….please….'

"_Yugi…" _

"No!" She was speaking out loud now, too worked up to use thoughts. That name…his voice calling that name… 'My name…' she thought. No, that was wrong! That wasn't her name! Her head started spinning, and it reminded her of a few days before, when everything seemed so off…

"Stop…please…no more…"

Silence.

She felt confused again. Utterly confused.

'My name is Hannah….I'm 18…I just graduated…I live with my parents and grandparents…I have a younger brother…I'm not….I'm not…' Her thoughts trailed off, not willing to say the name. They weren't directed at him, but she wasn't blocking them either. She wasn't even sure how to block them. She repeated those thoughts to herself a few times, until she felt a little less dizzy. She took a couple of deep breaths and gave herself a few minutes to calm down.

After a few hours, he still hadn't said anything.

"Pharaoh…?" She asked quietly and cautiously.

"_I'm sorry…."_

* * *

The days dragged on, and she asked him little questions here and there, usually getting answers, but sometimes he would tell her that they would have to wait until later. "When she understood the situation better", he would always say. She respected that, and didn't push it.

On a particularly lonely day, less than a week later, she picked up her phone, to text her friend when she remembered, 'It's Ryou…' It didn't really make sense to her still, and it left her with a sad feeling. Not only was her best friend gone, but she was never there in the first place? They had never loved the 'TV show' she now knew to be real, together? They had never walked and talked and eaten ice cream together? She started a new message to her friend -no- to Ryou, anyway. They hadn't talked since the day she let him know that she knew who he was.

"Ryou, I…. if you want...I'd like to talk to you…in person…do you think we could arrange something?" She didn't like the message as much as she would have liked, but she hit send anyway.

'I want to talk to Ryou.' She said, or rather, thought, bluntly.

She remembered the Ryou she saw in the…it wasn't a memory…But why was the person she thought she knew, Ryou now? Or, had she always been? She tried not to think about it too hard. Lately, thinking about these things too hard resulted in pain and confusion.

"_I know. I'm not opposed to the idea, but you need to be careful around him." _

That's right. She almost forgot. Where Ryou was, Yami Bakura was, and if anything the manga said was true, he was dangerous. But that didn't change the fact that she wanted to talk to Ryou…

'_I'll be there this time, if you need protecting." _

'You mean you'll-?'

"_If I have to, yes." _

Before she could stop to think about that statement, her phone vibrated.

"I'd like that, but I really don't think it's a good idea…"

'Is he worried about what happened last time?'

She hadn't known then. She hadn't known anything. She didn't know he was Ryou at that point, she didn't know that YuGiOh was more than a television show from Japan, she didn't know that—that's when it hit her.

'I was in danger, wasn't I? I didn't know it at the time, but I was in danger…'

"_Ryou puts others before himself... I think he wants to help keep you safe. Yes, you were in danger. The Spirit of the Ring could have easily hurt or even killed you." _

So, the entire time…Ryou was only trying to keep her safe? Why didn't she see this sooner? Why her? Why did he care about her enough to keep her safe?

"_But he is a fool if he thinks I would have let him kill you." _

They wanted to protect her…but why? Why her?

She started typing her answer to Ryou.

"If it's me you're worried about, don't. I just…things have been really weird lately, and I'd love to talk to you…I don't really understand what's going on…"

She didn't like that message either, but she hit the send button anyway. A quick reply.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

She had to talk to him. There were multiple reasons that she needed to see him.

"We can meet somewhere public if you want…The mall again tomorrow? It's different this time because I know who you really are…"

It pained her to type the last part. Some small part of her still wanted to believe that this was all one big joke. That her mind was playing tricks on her, and nothing strange had happened, and her friend was still her friend, and there weren't voices in her head.

"Then you know why it's dangerous to be around me…"

She remembered the times in the show that Ryou was suddenly Yami Bakura. Generally bad things happened after that. But there were variations depending on if you watched the show or read the manga…and then there was season0….how much of it was true? How much really happened? The RPG at the end of Season0… RPG…isn't that what he said they were…no. No, she couldn't start thinking like that again.

"The Pharaoh won't let anything bad happen…all I want to do is talk…that's all…"

She hit send, desperately hoping that he would agree to talk to her. She needed to talk to someone about this. To make sure it was all real. Or maybe to confirm that it wasn't.

"Alright… If you're sure….the mall at noon tomorrow?"

She sighed in relief.

"I'll be there. Thank you…"

Tomorrow would be an interesting day…But…what If something did happen? What if Yami Bakura did try something?

"_I told you, I'll protect you if he tries anything." _

He must have heard those last few thoughts… She liked the idea that she would be protected, but to do that, he would have to-…

'I…I was wondering…' She started to ask, not knowing whether she really wanted to ask this question or not. Maybe she wouldn't ask…but…her curiosity got the better of her.

'I was wondering….what it would feel like…'

"_If I took control?" _

She had seen it on the TV screen tons of times. Ryou and Yami Bakura, and Yami and Yugi. But if all of this was real…then she had to wonder what it felt like…

'Yeah…'

There was silence for a few moments, as she was sure he was thinking over what she had just asked. Her own question made her slightly nervous, but she had asked it, so here they were.

"_If you really wanted to know, I could show you. But I have to warn you, it could cause another lapse in memory." _

She thought about that for a minute. Was any of this real anyways? He might have to do the same thing tomorrow if something happened… But right now? He would show her right now? He could take over whenever he wanted, couldn't he? She hadn't thought about that before…

"_Don't worry. I won't without your permission." _

He really could hear her thoughts, couldn't he? She wondered if he could also feel her curiosity and mix of excitement and fear.

'….show me….'

She could feel his slight hesitance. He didn't mean to let her feel that, did he?

She closed her eyes in preparation.

It felt like being gently pushed back all at once by a very strong unseen force. She would have gasped if she was capable. It was so overwhelming that it took her a second to realize exactly what was going on.

She felt her eyes open, but she hadn't told them to. It was really the little things she noticed not being in control of, rather than the big things. It was one thing to notice that she had no control over her arms and legs, but another thing entirely to notice that she had no control over which direction her eyes looked in, or when she breathed or blinked.

He took a look around her room, seeing it through her eyes for the first time. She could still see through her own eyes, but had no choice in the direction they moved, as they scanned the room.

He brought her hands up and held them in front of him, so she could see.

"See? It's simple, really."

She was surprised to hear him speak using her voice. It was the lower reaches of her voice, but nothing she was vocally incapable of. So this is what it was like…so this is what Yugi felt every time they dueled? 'What if you didn't want me to see?' weren't there times in the manga when Yugi couldn't see what he was doing? When he wasn't present?

"Then I would do this."

Everything started going dark, and she felt the feeling of loss of control increasing as she was pulled away from her sense of sight and hearing as well, and she felt as if she was going to drift forever in the darkness. Just when it started to scare her, she was pulled back, and she could see and hear again. The complete loss of control was shocking. Scary, almost. It was at this moment that she realized, he could do whatever he wanted, and she couldn't do a single thing to stop him.

"That's true." He said, the finality in his, or rather her own voice scaring her, "You couldn't stop me. But as I said before, I'm not going to do this without your permission."

'What would happen….if I tried to take control back?'

"If I didn't want you to have it?"

'Yeah….'

"Why don't you try for yourself and find out."

Could she steal control back if she needed to? Here was her chance to find out. She willed something, anything, to move of her own decision. No, it was going to be harder than that.

She could feel it. His soul. Taking up residence in her body…to take control, she would have to overpower it…this was a battle of wills and feelings. She knew he would gladly give up control if she asked, but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to know if she could **take** control back for herself. She felt his soul, his will to keep it in her body for the time being, and she tried pushing it out of the way with her own. Nothing. She could feel how strong his soul was…much stronger than her own…she pushed a little harder. Nothing. She started to struggle a little when something happened. This feeling, of fighting for control…it suddenly felt familiar… A memory started to flash before her eyes, and she knew it was a memory this time, a memory so vivid that it was almost as if she was there. Reliving it.

/ Was this a memory? Yes. This time she knew while she was watching it, what it was. Only, it was more than watching it. It was living it. She saw Seto Kaiba, standing on the other side of the dueling field, a desperate look in his eyes. She had seen this scene in the anime, but this was different, this was _**real. **_The holograms in front of her looked more real than any she had ever seen, and that's when she noticed, that much like the real world at the moment, she? Didn't have control over her body. She suddenly found herself fighting for control, and thinking thoughts that didn't make sense. 'I-I can't control it! I can't let Kaiba die!' she felt fear and panic that didn't make sense at that moment either. 'I can't call that final attack!' 'No—'She felt her knees collide painfully with the stone ground, and tears in her eyes

/

It was like a flash, and she was pulled out of it.

She was on her knees, like she had been in that…memory…. And she had complete control back now. She was breathing heavily, and after a few seconds, she noticed tears in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes, and let the feelings that didn't make sense fade. She had been…afraid? She slowly stood up, shaking slightly as she did, still wiping stray tears from her eyes.

"_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-….are you alright?" _

She could hear the urgency in his voice and she could feel how apologetic and worried he was, and she wondered if he meant to let her feel that or not.

"I…I think so…" She answered him, looking down at her hands and flexing her fingers, just to be sure of her total control.

"What was that?"

"_I warned you that it might cause a memory lapse. That was a memory. Not one that I'm particularly fond of…I'm sorry…" _

"It's ok…that was _**my**_ memory…?"

"_Yes." _

"But…that didn't feel like a memory…it felt like I was there…I was…fighting…against you…?"

"_Yes. I went too far and you were putting me back into line. Yugi…I'm sorry…" _

That was the fourth time he had apologized. Wait, what did he just call her?

"I…I'm not…" She remembered that scene in the anime, Seto Kaiba stood on the edge, waiting for the final attack to send him to his death. But the way she saw him in the…memory…it was like she was dueling him…in the show, Yugi wouldn't let Yami kill Seto, so he managed to get control back, and call off the attack. But would that mean…?

"I'm not Yugi…."

She wasn't. Yugi was a character, on a TV show. She was real. She had almost 19 years' worth of memories to prove it. She was her own person.

"_I know it hurts to remember, but if you're still afraid, I could show you what happened after that. Things got better." _

She was still afraid. Not a lot, just a little. But afraid, all the same. She still wouldn't totally accept that those were her memories. They couldn't have been. What happened after that? She thought back to the show, and tried to remember what happened directly after the duel with Kaiba…Yugi had tried to duel Mai, but he was losing because he was fighting an internal battle, not letting Yami help…eventually, he forgave him, and they went on. She knew that later in the series, they got close. She knew he referred to Yugi as "partner". But how much of the show could she trust? She knew the show ended, where apparently, the ending didn't match whatever really happened.

"I…I don't think I can handle seeing any more "memories"…but…if it's possible…could you show me…what It felt like at the time? When it got better?"

She really had no idea if that was possible, but it didn't hurt to ask, right?

"_Yes…I think I can… Close your eyes." _

She hesitated, questioning his intentions for just a second, before she obeyed.

She felt feelings, stronger than she thought feelings were capable of getting. Warmth. Trust. She felt her own forgiveness towards him. She felt the strength of their bond, and happiness.

After the feelings faded, she opened her eyes. Better… she wasn't scared anymore. But were those her feelings? Either way, she felt better. And better was good.

The entire experience exhausted her, and she had an important day tomorrow, so unlike her own nature, she went to bed early, drifting off into peaceful sleep after only a few minutes. There may or may not have been a more…magical cause… for her easy rest.

* * *

The buzzing of her phone woke her up. She took a minute to remember everything that had happened, and check to see if she could feel the presence she knew must be there, before checking her cell phone.

The contact name still said "Bakura". She quickly changed it to "Ryou Bakura", seeing that more fitting for the circumstances.

"Are we still meeting at noon?"

It so easily could have been her friend still. It so easily could have all been a joke, or a Role Play, or hallucinations. But she didn't get her hopes up.

"Yes, if that's still alright." She typed back, trying to remember that she didn't know this person, and needed to be polite and make a good impression.

She heard her phone buzz from across the room, where she had been yawning and throwing a clean shirt on.

"Yes, I'll see you there. Just remember…be careful…"

Was he really warning her to be careful around him? Because of Yami Bakura… That thought made her feel an odd mixture of sadness and fear. She picked up her phone one more time to check the time, 11:30. She prepared herself to leave the house quickly, before finally throwing her shoes on and walking out the door.

She had been sitting in the mall food court for a few minutes. She pulled her phone back out. No new messages, 12:03. She was actually kind of nervous if she thought about it. It was almost like she was meeting someone for the first time. She only knew Ryou through what had been described to her as, "A watered down representation of true events", so she wasn't entirely sure how he would act. The only time they had met in person before, she didn't know it was him, and it made things awkward. Hopefully this time things would go better.

She caught sight of what appeared to be her friend, and her stomach did a flip, showing just how nervous she really was. "Ryou", now stood in front of the table she sat at. Why was she so nervous?

"_Calm down, I'll be here if you need me." _

She was used to hearing his voice in her bedroom, but it was different in public.

"Ryou" motioned to a chair, "Mind if I sit?"

"N-no, go ahead!" She stammered. This was so odd. This was someone she thought she knew. Someone she walked beside, someone she had long conversations with…

Ryou sat down and smiled softly at her. She hadn't meant to start the conversation out with this kind of question, but it left her mouth before she realized it.

"So…you…you're really not…?"

He seemed to understand the question, because he shook his head no, almost a sad expression on his face.

The place they were sitting was fairly out of the way, and they wouldn't be noticed by the random mall goers, even if they talked loudly. It was the perfect spot for this kind of meeting.

"I…I guess I still don't understand…" She let it trail off, not knowing exactly how to ask.

"I'm not who I thought I was. I'm sorry…"

She jumped right into this conversation, her confusion clouding her mental filter.

"What do you mean…?"

To anyone who didn't know her friend, she looked completely normal. The things that were different were very subtle. Only those close to her would have noticed. The way some of her words had the slightest twinge of an accent now, the way she walked just a little differently, the different look in her eyes.

"I feel bad about the other day…can we start over? I'm Ryou Bakura. It's nice to finally meet you properly, Hannah."

Sheer confusion made her say something she never would have normally said to someone she just met.

"Prove it."

This all had to be some kind of big joke. Her friend was just seeing how long she could make her believe that she was a character, like they used to do all the time…that had to be it…

Ryou looked shocked for a second, but then he smiled softly.

"You mentioned the Pharaoh over text. How much do you know?"

This conversation was all too strange.

"I…I know that he's real….I know, or at least…I think I know…that the show is real…it all really happened? I know that he can hear my thoughts, and…" She let that trail off, not wanting to say the rest, especially out loud. But Ryou seemed to understand.

"Have you been…feeling anything…strange lately? Remembering anything strange…?"

Now it was Ryou asking the questions?

"I…I still don't understand…we weren't friends? Is it that none of it happened? How could you be…a different person now…?"

"Oh! No, you were friends with her!" Ryou referred to her friend in the third person…he continued,

"It all happened… or well, some of it happened…I was always me…I….it's hard to explain." He took a breath and tried again, "I remember being her, but I had forgotten who I really was…I had all of my memories given back all at once…it was a painful experience…"

"You….you remember being her…?"

This was new information to her. Maybe she hadn't lost a friend after all…

"Yes…" Ryou smiled softly, "I remember how you and I would always watch the show together…with no idea of how real it was…"

"So…it really is real then…"

"Really real. A lot of what you probably remember from the show, actually happened. I remember it all perfectly. "

"I…I still want to see proof….proof that you're really Ryou….can you prove it?"

Ryou seemed thoughtful for a minute, and then he spoke, his voice still sounding of the friend Hannah thought she knew.

"You've been talking with the Pharaoh?"

Wait, what did that have to do with proving that she was really Ryou?

"Yes….we've been talking…"

"Has he told you….that you aren't really who you think you are either?" Ryou said extremely carefully, as if his words were made of glass, and saying them too loud or fast might cause them to shatter.

"Wh-what do you mean…? I'm me…nobody else…"

Ryou smiled that knowing smile. The same smile that Yami had been wearing when he first appeared to her. As if they all knew far, far, more than she did.

"Tell me, have you remembered anything yet? If he's with you, and he's talking, surely you've remembered something?"  
She wanted to deny this. She wanted to deny this with her entire being. But she couldn't… He must have seen the pained look on her face, because he spoke again,

"How about where we are? Has he told you that much?"

Didn't he say something about… her head started to hurt, as she thought about it…

"He said….he said we were in a game….."

Ryou sighed of relief….wait, of relief? How was that relieving?

"So at least you know that much…."

"It can't be true! That's crazy! We can't be in a game! I have my own life! My own personality! I am not just some pawn in a game!" Was she yelling? She wasn't really paying attention to the volume of her voice at this point.

Ryou was surprisingly calm, even through her outburst. She noticed his calm, and took that time to calm herself down. He didn't speak. She couldn't get the image of the white haired boy she had seen in that "memory" out of her head. Was that what Ryou really looked like? Was that who she was talking to?

"I….I saw you…I…remembered you….I think…"

Ryou's face turned to a smile, brighter than those before, and he said, "Really? It wasn't just from the show, or the manga?"

"I…I don't think so…but I…it wasn't my memory…I don't know what it was….but it wasn't mine…"

She didn't give Ryou a chance to speak before she asked him the same question again, looking into the familiar face, wondering if that person was really gone…

"I…can you prove who you are? I…still want proof…I don't…I don't believe you…you don't look like Ryou…"

He looked to be in thought for a minute.

"I might be able to prove it…but only if you've remembered something…it doesn't have to be a lot…just a little…just a little bit of who you are…"

"I…I…-" this caught her by surprise. A bit of who she was? She knew who she was. She was Hannah, the same as she had always been.

"I…I saw a memory yesterday…an unfamiliar one…and it wasn't the only time…"

"So you **do** remember who you are?" Why did they both seem so determined that she wasn't herself? She knew who she was.

"I…I'm not…"

"Yugi…" Ryou said, the name stinging Hannah like ice.

"I'm not. I'm not him."

Ryou sighed. "Do you still want proof of who I am?"

Hannah nodded. There was almost no way it was true. That it was actually Ryou Bakura she was speaking to.

"I could remind you of something that didn't happen in any of the versions of your story here. Something that wasn't in the anime or the manga…but you would have to accept who you are…"

"You could…remind me?"

"All you know about me is what you've seen in the anime, the manga, or the fanfiction, right?"

Hannah nodded again.

"They don't cover everything. Not about me, or you, or anything. But I remember watching and reading them with you, and what happened in them, more or less, happened in real life."

"I…I know that part…."

"So, if I helped you remember something that wasn't in any of them, you'd have to accept that this is real, and that I am Ryou Bakura."

"Helped me remember?"

"Yugi…" Ryou started, the name like a blade to Hannah's skull, "There's a lot you forgot."

"Don't….please don't…call me that…"

"Alright….I'm sorry…"

As they talked, she started to notice more and more, the faint hints of an accent in her friend's voice. Because whether or not that was Ryou Bakura, that was still her friend's voice.

"Do you remember the time you and I went to the gaming shop in Akihabara?"

The pronunciation of the Japanese city's name was perfect.

"We went to Japan…?"  
"We **lived** in Japan."

No, she hadn't lived in Japan. Many times she had **wished** that she lived in Japan, but she was American, at the end of the day…wasn't she?

"It was a rare trip. Just you and I, without Anzu, or Honda, or Jounouchi. Going in search of a good gaming store, behind your grandfather's back, because you didn't want him to know you shopped for games anywhere else."

Ryou was smiling at all of this, as if it was a pleasant memory.

"N-no…I…Anzu?...Jounouchi?...they're...real people?"

"Of course they are, Yu-.." Ryou cut himself off, remembering that she had asked not to be called by the name.

"Of course they are! But this particular trip, it was just you and I."

"That….wasn't in the anime…"

"No, I told you, it doesn't cover everything. It really focuses on your friendship with the rest of the group, but in reality, it was more like the manga…" Ryou blushed and continued, "I was there too….I was your friend too…"

She sat and thought about this for a second. Then, very suddenly, she was underneath the bright lights of Akihabara, right after sunset. It was fuzzy, but she knew she was having an excellent time. She turned to her left, somewhat involuntarily, and saw him, Ryou Bakura, with a smile on his face, and a bag from a game store in his hand. For a moment, all she heard was Japanese…

"Yuugi…Arigatou…" And then her brain seemed to be able to translate somehow, "For coming with me today…" She felt herself smile, and heard the words leave her mouth, "No problem, Ryou! I know we don't do things with just the two of us often…" But it wasn't her voice…or was it? They both stopped walking for a second, and she heard herself? Say, "It's nice to have someone who understands…." It was like, she was there, but she had no control over what she was doing. Not like when she hadn't been in control of her body, no, this was different. It was like she was vividly remembering something, and so she couldn't change it, but also like she was seeing it for the very first time. Her eyes turned to her reflection in a shop window, and the part of her that was seeing this for the first time, was utterly shocked.

Yugi Mutou could be seen in the reflection. And his face suddenly looked so familiar…. Standing there next to what was undeniably, Ryou Bakura. They both had their school uniforms on, so maybe this was after a school day? Like a day trip after school?

"Anzu and the others…", she started without realizing she had, until she heard the foreign/familiar voice again, that came out of her mouth, "They're great friends….but they don't understand…"

She was still there long enough to look up to see Ryou with a look of understanding on his face, smile and nod, and then in a flash, she was back at the table, with the person who she now knew as Ryou, looking at her with concern.

"Yugi! Are you alri-" Ryou stopped himself mid-sentence, "I-I'm sorry, I mean,-"

"Ryou….It's ok…" she muttered, still coming down from that intense…was it a memory?

She looked up. She must have fallen to look like she was sleeping on the table, because her head rested on her arm lazily. She slowly brought her head back up. "Ryou…"

"I….I remember…"


	9. This is me?

Author's note:

Thank you to anyone still reading this, for sticking with me this far through my very first fan fiction. As you've probably noticed, I've updated the cover picture. It's of my own work, so I hope it's acceptable.

As always, I do not own YuGiOh.

* * *

There they sat, at a table in the mall. To anyone else it would just look like two teenage girls, talking about a new movie, or boyfriends, or the latest One Direction song, but if they could see what was really going on, they'd notice that it was far from "normal".

She sat across from Ryou, who still had the appearance of her friend. Slowly bringing her head up from where it had apparently fallen while she was remembering what he described, she said,

"Ryou…I…I remember…"

And she did. It was an odd sort of way to remember things, but she did remember it. Being in Akihabara. The feeling that Ryou understood the most, out of all her friends. Enjoying the time the two had, looking for a gaming shop, which were abundant in that area.

"You do? What do you remember?" Ryou seemed surprised by her words.

"I...I remember being in Akihabara with you…I remember…the conversation we had on the way back…I…" She paused, still a little shaken from the sheer realistic-ness of the memory. "Ryou….I…my reflection…"

"You saw your reflection?"

She considered this. Was it her reflection? Yes. Yes, there was no denying that it was her reflection…she was the one who turned to look at it…she remembered turning to look at it…but…

"I…I think so..."

She could feel his presence, even if he wasn't saying anything, and she knew he was watching and paying attention. She wondered if he had seen that last memory…

"Ryou…how could I…not be me…?"

"He really hasn't told you then…"

Told her what? Why did everyone suddenly act like there was so much she didn't know? She didn't like the looks on their faces. Those looks like they all knew something terrible, but didn't want to tell her about it.

"Told me what…?"

There was that look. The look like he knew a lot more than she did. But also a sad look…like he didn't want to have to tell her…like it was something painful…

"Listen, I know this is going to be hard to take….but," Ryou paused and took a deep breath, as if whatever he was about to say pained him as well as her.

"You are Yugi Mutou."

He said it with such confidence, as if it could possibly have a shred of truth. Her thoughts were racing, all of them saying things like, 'No, that's stupid, utter stupidity' 'How could I be someone I'm not?' 'Ryou must have the wrong person…'

She stopped her train of thought all at once and allowed herself to even consider this possibility.

She was Yugi? No, it still didn't make sense. She would remember something like that. People don't just forget that they're gaming champions and hosts to ancient king's souls, and then randomly decide one day that they're an American otaku fangirl. That didn't happen.

But that reflection begged to differ. She had turned to see herself in the window, she remembered clearly, doing it. But that wasn't her reflection. It was just like the shock she received when she first met Yami. The real look threw her off. Her reflection was obviously of a real person, there was no doubt about that, but upon further inspection, it was Yugi. His blue school uniform, his features similar to Yami but softer. His wide eyes with that rare color in them. His hair looking messy and spikey, but not unreal. His blonde bangs. All of it was utterly perfect, and that's why she couldn't deny it. She could not deny that she had seen Yugi in that window. But her, Yugi Mutou? Her, the unimportant random American citizen, the normal, average girl, actually gaming Master Yugi Mutou? King of Games?

No, she wasn't that important. She wasn't that unselfish and giving and caring and important.

She looked back up at Ryou.

"No…I…I can't be…"

Ryou looked back at her with determination in his eyes.

"Remember the last time we met here? You called me by my name. How did you know? If you aren't Yugi, then how did you know?"  
That was a good question…how DID she know?

"I…I was dizzy and I…I don't know…I just…said it…"

"You said it because you remembered, because deep down, you recognized the situation, and you knew. You recognized me…"

Could that have been right? She never did understand how she knew it was Ryou…

"But I…I can't be Yugi. I remember everything…my entire childhood, and it wasn't Yugi's. It was mine…"

Ryou's eyes turned soft, and there was compassion in his voice.

"I know…that's what it feels like, doesn't it? It's because you don't remember…. I didn't remember either…"

This still confused her. It didn't make any sense. If they were really Yugi and Ryou, then why were they here, looking like other people…remembering other people's lives?

"We're in a game, Yugi. We're in an RPG, and these," Ryou said as he gestured back and forth between the two of them, "Are our characters."

* * *

The rest of the day had been a blur. She left the mall soon after their conversation, still not knowing what to think of it. How could she be two people? It wasn't possible.

She was sitting in a chair in her bedroom, contemplating these thoughts. Really, it would explain so much…..but, in a way, she didn't **want** it to be true. If it was true, what did that mean for her?

She thought back over everything she knew about Yugi from the show. He spent 8 years working on the Millennium Puzzle. He finally finished it, unleashing the spirit inside. She thought back through everything she knew about the series itself. The Manga, the Anime, even the Fan Fiction.

What about Season0? Was that considered part of the anime series? She thought about all of the memories she had seen so far. It made sense. She didn't want it to make sense, but it was starting to.

His comment was so sudden that it startled her out of her thoughts,

"_If you want proof of who you are, I might be able to show you." _

She thought about that. Did she want proof? Did she really want to know which person she was? No, she knew which person she was. There was only small doubt in her mind, very small doubt, that she wasn't exactly who she thought she was. Not the cute, compassionate, young gaming master. The random American girl. The one who wasn't particularly good at anything, let alone card games. But….part of her did want to see…Her curiosity ever present, she finally decided that she did want to see whatever he had to show her.

'Oh…ok…you can show me…'

"_It's going to require that I be in control again for a minute. Is that alright?" _

That question threw her off. Again? So soon? After what happened last time? But….if by some small chance it was true…and she really had forgotten almost everything she knew…it would be important to remember, right? It really hadn't been that bad last time…it wasn't that part that was bad, it was the memory itself…as long as that didn't happen again, she should be ok…now on to the main question. What was he going to show her?

'Yes…that's ok…'

"_Stand in front of the mirror." _

What? That was an…odd request… but she trusted him, to a point, and she did it anyways. She made her way right outside her bedroom door, and found the light switch for the bathroom, which had a full wall mirror.

She stood in front of it, carefully looking herself over, thinking about what it was going to feel like, if she started to remember not being herself…

"_Are you ready?" _

'Yes…I think so…'

She kept her eyes open this time, looking to the mirror to see what it would look like from the outside.

Unless someone was paying extremely careful attention, they wouldn't have noticed a change at all. When she felt the feeling of being pushed out of the way, and she knew he had taken over, there really wasn't much change in the image in the mirror. He stood a little straighter than she did, and he managed to make her own eyes look a little sharper, and if you were really looking for it, you could see the slight color change, the deep green of her own eyes, bleeding slightly a deep red/purple, but overall, it was the same image.

He stared at the mirror for a minute, seeming to notice the change in eye color, and then he said quietly, borrowing her voice,

"Close your eyes."

What? That didn't make sense. Not in the least.

'But I…I can't, you have-'

"Trust me."

He had her completely confused. But upon attempting the seemingly impossible request, she noticed what he may have meant. When she thought about it, the action of closing her eyes, she somehow managed to pull herself away from her sense of sight. She didn't know that was something she could do willingly. She was there, in the dark, when it dawned on her exactly what situation she was in. She couldn't see anything going on in the outside world, and he could do whatever he wanted. But he hadn't forced her into the dark…she had come here willingly, so maybe it was ok…

"_Good. Now for the next part." _

He was using thoughts now, so it was his voice she was hearing, rather than a slightly different version of her own. But what was he planning? She honestly had no clue what he was doing, and that both scared and excited her, in a weird kind of way.

"_It's very difficult to describe what you need to do next. You're going to push your soul out of your body. It sounds hard to do, but it's fairly easy if you know how." _

What? Her soul? He wanted her to move her soul? She didn't even know how to do that…how could she do it, if she didn't even know how?

"_It's not something I can help you with. It can only happen if you will it to." _

What was he trying to do? An idea came to her, as she was thinking over how to accomplish this latest seemingly impossible task. Sometimes, in the show, whichever one wasn't using the body at the moment, could exist outside of it, in spirit form. Was that possible in real life? Spirit form? Maybe that's what he wanted…

He must have heard her thinking those thoughts, because he said,

"_Yes. That is exactly what I want you to do. Just concentrate. It's really not that hard." _

So she needed her soul to exist outside her body. If only she knew how to do it…Yet another reason she knew she wasn't Yugi. He would know how to do this. She could feel his soul last time, so maybe if she thought about it, she could feel her own too? She thought about her goal, to see what was going on outside, and what she would have to do to achieve it, which was apparently, moving her soul.

She concentrated hard, thinking about what she was trying to do, but nothing seemed to happen for a few minutes, until she suddenly felt a pulling feeling. It scared her the first time she felt it, and so she instinctively fought against it. She felt it again a little stronger, and she realized that it might be just what she needed to do what he requested. It happened again, but this time she let it pull her, not knowing what would happen, but allowing it to have its way with her.

The first thing she noticed was the light, so intensely bright after she had been in the dark. What happened? Where was she? The second thing she noticed, was that she was standing beside _herself. _Had she done it? She looked the figure that was herself up and down, thinking how very odd it was, to see yourself from the outside. She didn't feel entirely…there…she looked down at her hands for assurance, and nearly gasped in shock when she could see right through them. So this was being in a spirit form? She looked back up at "herself" noticing that even though she wasn't exactly_ in_ her body, it was still standing and moving…which meant…

"It worked." he said, and she took that moment to notice how very strange it was to see your own mouth move, and hear your own voice come out, and to know that it was someone else speaking. He was smiling.

"Turn around."

She turned to see the mirror. Her eyes hit his reflection in the mirror first, and she noted again, how weird it was to see her own face, with someone else behind it.

Then her eyes caught her own reflection. Should she even _have_ a reflection? Wasn't she just a spirit at the moment? But the reflection itself shocked those thoughts out of her.

She was staring back at Yugi Mutou. There he was, transparent, in the mirror, his rare violet eyes wide with shock. She took a step back, and her shock only increased when Yugi did the same in the mirror. She stared at the reflection for what must have been several minutes. Any time she made any kind of movement, it was bizarre to watch the reflection follow her. It was like…he was her avatar or something…anything she did, he would do in the mirror. Any tiny, miniscule, insignificant movement at all, he followed. She stepped towards the mirror, her curiosity building along with her shock. He was exactly as she had seen in the store window in that…she couldn't deny it now…it was a memory… his face so unlike the one she was used to wearing. He looked like the TV show character literally stepped out of the screen and became real. He was real. The reflection wasn't an animation. It was real. She was real? Was this real?

She reached out to touch the reflection, and it did the same, her hand meeting the cold hard mirror, touching the image, even if it was a transparent image. She withdrew her hand, not taking her eyes off of the face in the mirror. She brought her hand up to her face, testing to see if the mirror would match. It did.

For a moment, she looked back at where Yami was standing, using her body. That was who she was…the familiarity of that face overwhelming in light of the moment. Her eyes went back and forth a couple of times, between the mirror image, and the real human standing in the room. The mirror image was wearing a tank top, like Yami was, the night that she had seen him for the first time, and he had the belt he wore as a choker, and a couple of other belts and accessories. She stared straight at the mirror, still not believing what she was seeing.

She reached up to touch her neck, noticing when her hand met the belt that she saw in the mirror. She took note of how real it felt, and how the mirror image showed Yugi, with his hand around the belt around his neck. This couldn't be real. That was when she noticed something that she really should have noticed sooner. The Puzzle. The Millennium Puzzle, around the reflection's neck. How had she missed it? It was beautiful, exactly matching the one hanging around Yami's neck that night.

She stared at the mirror again, with her hands at her sides, checking every transparent detail on the reflection. She put her hand up to her hair, and the reflection did the same. She looked down at herself, and saw the Puzzle, hanging on its chain around her neck. She looked back at the mirror as she reached down to touch it. She could definitely feel it. She was jolted out of her trance by her own voice again.

"Here is your proof."

She continued to stare at the reflection, even as she started to speak,

"But I…I'm not-" She gasped, cutting herself off. This shocked her for two reasons. The first being that she had a voice as a spirit. She assumed that the two of them were the only ones capable of hearing it.

The second reason, was that it wasn't her voice at all. She had watched the lips move in the mirror, as she tried to speak, but that hadn't been her voice.

She was speaking in a voice that wasn't her own. She was staring at a reflection that wasn't her own.

"Wha-…what's going on…?" She tried again, equally shocked with the results. The voice was that of a male. A young male. She had heard something very similar to it before. On TV. Her mind was still trying to rationalize all that was happening. 'I'm in a dream. I'm dreaming. Maybe this whole thing is a dream, and I'll wake up and none of it will be real at all.'

"You're looking at a direct reflection of your soul." The voice couldn't be considered entirely her own, even if it sounded the same, he added a different tone to it, just enough to be noticeable.

Wait.

A reflection of her soul? Her soul? This was what her soul looked like? That didn't make sense. He wasn't making any sense. Him and Ryou….They were both trying to tell her that she was-…and now she looked the part….

"This…." She spoke with the voice that didn't belong to her, "This is….me?" She stared at the mirror. No, that was Yugi. Not her. But… She brought her hand up to touch the hand on the mirror again. It always matched her movements. Always, without fail. As if it really was her own reflection…

"Yes. This is you, Yugi."


	10. Proof

She was still standing in front of the mirror, awestruck at the slightly transparent soul form looking back at her.

"This…." She spoke with the voice that didn't belong to her, "This is….me?" She stared at the mirror. No, that was Yugi. Not her. But… She brought her hand up to touch the hand on the mirror again. It always matched her movements. Always, without fail. As if it really was her own reflection…

"Yes. This is you, Yugi."

She stared deep into the light purple eyes in the mirror. How could this be true? Was that really her mirror image? Really what she looked like right now? He said this was her soul. This was what her soul looked like? How could her soul be someone she wasn't? Unless she was…

"Am…am I really…?" She trailed off, still testing the new voice. She heard this voice before, when she watched the show. It was similar, but not exactly the same. It wasn't what she was used to. Not at all. It was a very odd experience to speak with a voice you're unfamiliar with. She wondered how Yami could do it without a second thought.

She turned to look at him, still underneath the face she was familiar with. That's when she realized that she wasn't eye-level with herself. No, there was a few inches difference. She was looking up at herself. Her soul didn't match her body? That didn't make sense. She looked back at the mirror. Innocence was in his face. Far more innocent than she believed herself to be. It looked younger too.

"How….how old am I..?"

She turned back to Yami again, expecting an answer.

"Sixteen. But you've never looked your age."

No…she was 18…she was about to turn 19…but the face staring back at her looked more like 13, at the oldest. It was then that she realized how long she had been there, staring into the mirror. Nearly an hour, if she wasn't mistaken. But she wasn't ready to go yet. This whole experience was too much for her, and she wasn't ready to end it yet.

"Could I…look a little longer…?"

"As long as you want."

She sat on top of the bathroom counter, staring into the mirror that took up the entire wall. She wondered if this is what Yami felt like when he controlled her body. The face and voice so unfamiliar. She continued to stare at the mirror, trying a couple of different expressions to see how they'd look on his face. His face wasn't made for anger. It looked right when he smiled. She was seeing it with her own eyes, proof of what Ryou was saying, but she still didn't entirely believe it. If she was really Yugi, she would remember it. Right? Someone can't just entirely forget who they are, can they? And even if they could, that wouldn't cause them to think they were someone else. Right? She thought she knew who she was. If this was who she was, wouldn't the face seem familiar? Wouldn't the voice feel right, and not odd and misplaced coming out of her mouth?

"If…if it's true…then I don't remember…I…I don't remember being anyone but me…"

"I know. It's alright. You'll remember soon enough." It was strange, there were two voices in the room, one was hers, more or less, and the other was unfamiliar. And the unfamiliar one was the one coming out of her mouth.

"I…I will…?"

"Yes. It's only a matter of time."

So it was true? She really was going to remember not being herself? Small amounts of curiosity ate at her, but she was also afraid. What would it be like to not remember being you?

"I…I'm going to remember being him? Being Yugi?"

"Yes. Because the truth of the matter is, you _are_ Yugi."

She went back to staring at the unfamiliar face in the mirror. But if she was really Yugi…what about all the memories she had right now? She didn't feel like Yugi. No matter how much she looked like him, or sounded like him, she didn't feel like him.

"I…I'm Yugi…" She tested out, there was still a hint of question in her voice, still staring into the mirror as she spoke. It fit, it was his voice, and his face, and those were words he would say, but it still didn't feel quite right.

"Do you want to remember?"

She didn't turn away from the mirror upon hearing his question. Did she want to remember? If she really had forgotten things, did she want to remember? She had a life. A personality. She was her own person. Would Yugi want to remember? Would he want her to say yes? She imagined not being able to remember her current past. It stung a little. Of course she wanted to remember. It would be terrible to not remember your past. She thought of Yami, who couldn't remember his past either. Would it be right for her to say no, in light of his situation? No. She did want to remember…anyone would want to remember…

"Yes…Pharaoh…what's going to happen to me? When I remember? What's going to happen to the person I am now…?"

He didn't say anything for a minute, as if carefully planning his answer. All the while she just kept staring into the mirror, wondering how much of this was real.

"We're in a game, Yugi. A Role Playing game."

She thought about that for a minute. This wasn't the first time someone had told her that. No, he had told her at least once now, and Ryou did say something about it.

"So…I'm just playing a role…I'm not…real…?"

"Do you feel real?"

"Yes…."

"Then for the moment, you are real. If it helps, you'll retain all of the memories you're making now."

It didn't really help. So, she was a character. She was a character in a game, and she was going to start remembering being the player of the game?

"When will I remember…?"

She should have been getting used to this new voice by now, but she wasn't. It was like asking how long she had left. How long she had left to still be the person she thought she had been for nearly 19 years. How was she younger than she remembered being? How was Yugi only 16 but she was 19?

"When do you _want_ to remember?"

She quickly turned back to look at him, realizing what his question meant.

"You can make me remember, can't you?"

The realization hit her a bit hard. He could probably throw everything on top of her all at once, and if it was true, she would remember being this other person. This person she thought was a fictional character. She might even forget who she was now. The girl named Hannah might disappear, if she remembered. She would be forgotten, so that Yugi could come back. She would be pushed to the side, in favor of his memories.

"Yes. Not all of it, but yes, I can make you remember."

She sat there, thinking she had been staring into the mirror too long, wondering if all of this was true. If it was, and she was really Yugi Mutou, wouldn't she ache to remember? Instead, she was reluctant to ask him for help remembering. It was almost as if she didn't _want_ to remember. It was like being told you had lived another life, and weren't finished with it yet, but just so happened to live this one in the middle. She was reluctant to go back to the first one, in fear of her current life ending. She put her hand to the mirror again, this time pressing her palm against its cold hard surface, slightly surprised that she could even feel it while she was in spirit form.

"Right now…?"

Part of her wanted to know what it would be like to be him. She would keep all her current memories, right? So why not see a piece of who she supposedly was? Not everything. Just a bit. Just a taste. He said she was going to remember over time anyway, right? So why not speed things up? And this would prove if it was true. If she remembered, then that could be proof that all of this was true.

"If you want, I could show you something small. You don't have to remember all at once."

She thought through all of the scenes in the Anime, and some from the Manga. What would be important to Yugi? What would he want to remember more than anything else?

"The first time we really talked? It was in Duelist Kingdom, right? The first time you could hear his-…my...voice…"

She wouldn't have said it that way before, but now, it literally was his voice she was hearing when she spoke, for the moment anyway. She could no longer deny it.

"Is that what you want to see?"

She nodded, mentally preparing herself for something like the times before. Those strange flashes that hadn't been herself.

"Right now?"

She nodded again, taking another glance at the purple eyes in the mirror.

"Close your eyes."

That seemed to be turning into a common command. She obeyed anyway, hoping that this would be a painless experience. Then, everything around her faded, and she was somewhere else entirely.

/

I called out for him like I had so many times before, hoping that maybe the results would be different this time. I knew he was there. I could tell. But no matter how loud I yelled, he couldn't hear me. Until today.

He appeared in front of me, and my excitement grew along with a little bit of shock. There he was! Right in front of me! 'The other me' I called him. He looked so much like me and so different at the same time. My eyes never held such confidence. He looked strong and determined. I had finally called him here!

"You're here!" I exclaimed, my excitement showing in my voice.

"You did it! You finally heard my voice!"

"Yes." He replied simply. So I kept talking.

"I can't believe it worked! Until now, no matter how loud I screamed, my voice never reached you…"

His expression stayed the same, and he didn't say anything, so I kept going.

"I could feel it when you were hurt in battle, but I couldn't do anything…"

This was a big moment! He finally heard me! After all that time, he could finally hear me!

"Why did you call me?"

To anyone else the question might have seemed rude or short, but I knew he wouldn't be that way with me. And I did have a reason for calling him here. We were in the middle of the final duel of Duelist Kingdom, against Pegasus! But Pegasus could read minds, and if things kept going the way they were…

"Please…let me fight too! You can't beat Pegasus alone!"

No, he needed my help if we were going to win this.

"But his Millennium Eye…There's no way to fight it…"

Ah, but I had a plan! Well, less of a plan and more of an idea. But, if I was right, this could work!

"What if Pegasus can only read one mind at a time?"

I wanted to spend more time just talking here with him, but this duel was important! We had souls to save!

"I see. If Pegasus can only read one mind at a time, then maybe if we fight him with _two _minds_…" _

He's got it! Maybe with this plan, we could beat Pegasus and save Grandpa! And Kaiba and Mokuba!

"I'll need your help! Will you help me fight?"  
"Of course!"

/

She gasped as she came out of it, looking around to see where she was. Mirror. She was still sitting in front of the mirror, in spirit form. For just a moment, just a short second, the face in the mirror became familiar. Until she looked back at Yami, who was wearing her own. She looked back and forth between the two a few times. This memory had been different than the ones before. The ones before, she was present, but it wasn't the same. The ones before, it was almost like remembering watching someone else do things. This was like any other memory she had, she remembered the thoughts she had at the time, and everything she did, as if she was the one doing it.

"More….could I…could you show me more? What happened after that? We won, right?"

"You want to see what happened next?"

She nodded, craving more after this taste of memory. It was like eating a potato chip. You can't just eat one, they make you want more. Remembering anything, and then realizing there was more you had forgotten, would make anyone want to remember more.

"Are you certain that's what you want?"

"Please…"

She closed her eyes and waited.

/

Pegasus turned this into a Shadow Game.

We were finally turning the game in our favor, and he had to make it a Shadow Game.

It got dark so quickly around us that it surprised me. The other me took over, saying it was too hard for me. I had to persuade him to let me fight alongside him, Shadow Realm or no Shadow Realm! He kept playing for a while, but sooner or later, Pegasus would try to use the Millennium Eye to read his mind, and that's when I wanted to be there to help!

The instant I switched places with him, I could feel it. The strangest pain I've ever felt. In my heart and in my soul. I could feel my willpower and my strength being drained, just from sitting there! I was stunned. Overwhelmed.

He quickly took control again, seeing that it was too much for me. The game continued on for a while, and I wondered just how strong he was, if he was able to handle so well what had just overwhelmed me so easily. The duel got complicated. Well, even more complicated, and he was at a loss for moves. This was my chance to help!  
"If you just sit there, Pegasus will read your mind! I'll buy you some time!" I prepared to handle the pain that I knew awaited, as I began to jump in, in place of him.

"No! I can't risk you! It's too dangerous!"

He protested. No, I was going to do this. I had to help fight!

"I want to fight! 'Till the end!"

He reluctantly let me take control again.

It was hard to move. Hard to think. But I reached for my deck and I drew a card anyway. This had to count! I only had a little strength left! Yes. Yes! This card would work! I played it face down, but that's when everything was starting to fade.

"_Mou Hitori no Boku…" _

"_Please…defeat Pegasus…" _

Everything started to go dark and fuzzy, and I could barely feel myself falling forward, as I fell into the darkness.

/

Yugi looked up to his face in the mirror. Was that his face? Yeah. It was. It had been a while since he'd seen it. What was going on, anyways? It was strange…he couldn't remember how he-

And that's when it all came crashing back down on her. Every memory she had made in the last 19 years all came back to her all at once. And for a second, she couldn't remember who she was. She was caught between the two personalities.

She looked around, slightly frantic, ready for this to end.

"Pharaoh…"

Yugi's voice was a harsh reminder of what had just happened.

She jumped down off of the bathroom counter where she had been sitting, staring into the mirror, and even if she was only in spirit form, she could feel the weight of the chain and the Puzzle around her neck. It unnerved her because it comforted her. She didn't want anything else to do with that idea at the moment. She wasn't Yugi. She had her own memories, and her own life, and she wasn't Yugi. This wasn't a game, this was real life.

"I…I…I'm done now…I don't…want to see any more…"

She was done. Done using his voice and staring into his face in the mirror. That wasn't who she was. Even if it had felt like it for a second…

No. It wasn't.

"Just now…I couldn't…For a minute I was…"

"I think you've had enough for today."

She nodded, appreciating that he seemed to notice. She was done. She wanted things to go back to normal now.

He took one last long look at her. It wasn't a look of romantic origin, but a look of longing. A look of longing for something one has lost. And…was that guilt she saw?

At that moment, very suddenly, she was staring at the place she was standing only seconds ago. She blinked, and looked around her, before finding the mirror again. The mirror that proved everything she knew to be wrong. The mirror that told her she was someone she wasn't. Only, this time, it was reflecting what she would expect it to reflect. This was who she was, and she knew it. She had watched this face age for 19 years. She remembered what it looked like with no teeth in front, when she was considerably younger.

She didn't think she looked like Yugi at all. In fact, some aspects of her face were a lot more like Yami than Yugi. Her eyes weren't as wide as they had been when she was younger, and they were almond shaped, filled with deep green, that she was sure came from the bit of Irish in her heritage. She had no Egyptian ancestors. Not that she knew of. No, she wasn't that cool. The almond shape of her eyes was passed down through Native American blood, or, so she was told. Her boy-short brown hair was much, much longer when she was a child, but she had opted to cut it short for the purpose of comfort.

There were still fading blonde streaks left in the front of it, where she had dyed highlights into it a couple of weeks ago. Why had she done that? Oh yeah. She laughed one of those sad laughs one makes when they realize something they didn't want to realize.

She had put the blonde streaks in her bangs in an attempt to look more like Yugi. She wondered for a moment if there was a deeper reason for that, but shook it off, not wanting to think about it like that anymore. That obviously wasn't who she was right now, so it didn't matter.

* * *

She sat in front of the computer screen, thinking over the things she had seen. It was one of those 'how could I forget?!' moments. How DID she forget that? It was kind of important. Either way, she was glad she remembered it now. But, it was like she remembered it, but she wasn't herself in the memory either. She had done all of the things she remembered doing, and said them, but it still wasn't her. She remembered what it felt like to be Yugi. And that scared her. So, did this mean the tables were turned? Now_ she_ was the fictional character and he was the real one? Had it always been that way? The idea of realizing that she was a fictional character scared her even more. Her computer clock showed 4:48AM. No time to be awake. She crawled into bed and lay there, unable to even fathom sleep. She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, before she thought of something.

"Mou hitori no boku…?" She barely whispered, almost loud enough to be audible. She knew he would hear it anyway. She remembered the night of dreamless, peaceful sleep she had after the nightmares that night. Maybe if he had done it once, he could do it again?

Almost before she had even gotten the words quietly out of her mouth, his presence grew stronger, seemingly in response.

It was different now, a little bit. She couldn't believe she had forgotten the day they truly met, and spoke for the first time. And fought for each other, and to save everyone's souls. But, now that she remembered that, it was different. In a good way, she decided. Not a lot different, just a little. She just felt…like she knew him a bit better now.

"I…I can't sleep…"

Seconds after she had gotten the words out of her mouth, her eyes began to feel heavy, and she could feel sleep creeping in on her.

"Thank you…" Her whisper was so hushed, even if someone had been sitting next to her, they wouldn't have heard it. But he would hear it. He would have heard it, even if she hadn't said it at all.

She surrendered to the sweet peace that is sleep, knowing that she didn't have to think about this situation anymore until at least tomorrow, and taking comfort in that fact.


	11. Realization

If someone had told her a few months ago, before it was all so painfully real, that she was Yugi Mutou, she probably would have smiled at them, and laughed. If they had been serious about it, she might have even gotten excited, loving the show and anything to do with it. But now that it was _real _and it was starting to come down to who she really was, and which of her memories actually happened, any excitement that would have been there was smothered.

Just a few days ago it had been proven to her that everything wasn't always as it seemed. She still wasn't sure if she entirely believed it or not, that she really was just Yugi, and all her memories were fake. But she remembered _something_ of Yugi's now. With as much clarity as any good quality memory she had.

In fact, not only did she remember it, but she was surprised she had forgotten it. It made her wonder what else she had forgotten. Ryou said it was a lot. But to remember it all, would she have to abandon the person she had become? The memories that were supposedly 'fake' were just as clear as the new ones, and felt very, very real. She knew the places she had been, and everything she had experienced, and none of it felt "fake".

Since this began, school had started back up. She was graduated, and was currently living at home, so it didn't affect her the same way. Ryou however, still had school. As did most of her other friends.

In the rush and confusion of all that had been going on, she nearly forgot about all of the small important things. Her other friends, everything she used to do for fun online, nearly all of her hobbies.

She took a good look around her room, from her computer chair, actually looking, instead of just glancing and taking in the familiarity. She absentmindedly turned the computer on, as she looked around.

She stifled a laugh. It was humorous now, after knowing it was all real. A coat that looked painfully similar to Yugi's school jacket hung from a hanger around her closet doorknob. The fake Puzzle hung from a chain around the hook attached to her bed. All of the little "Yu-Gi-Oh" figures were lined up on her desk. Duel Monsters cards were scattered across her room. In her realization that all of it was real, she had almost forgotten that she was in the 'fandom'. As her computer powered up and the desktop screen flashed in front of her, letting her know it was ready for use, it restored the last session. Her Itunes popped up, reminding her of the existence of the 'fandom' again, songs like "Passionate Duelist" and "Leather Pants" on the list.

She had been writing Fan Fiction about it. Reading Fan Fiction about it. Her desktop background centered around it.

It was hard to have the same kind of interest in it, knowing that it was real. Of course, that knowledge fascinated her, but scared her at the same time. And there was still part of her that said it wasn't real. That it couldn't be real. That she was only ever herself and everything else was only her vivid imagination, or hallucinations or something, but upon thinking back, she could still remember it. If she tried, she could remember it still. The strange pain in her soul, when she attempted to duel Pegasus in the Shadow Realm. The first words she actually spoke with "_mou hitori no boku_". She even registered what the Japanese phrase meant now. But if she thought about it, it confused her. "Mou hitori no boku". "The other me". Only, he wasn't another her, he was "Mou Hitori no _**Yuugi". **_To believe that he really was another version of her, she would have to fully believe that she was Yugi. It wasn't possible. She understood what was going on logically, but she couldn't completely believe it. Logically, she knew that he claimed they were in a game. A very elaborate Role Playing game. But how could this be a game? The very idea of it was insane. How could life be a game? Because that's what this was. Life.

She tried to let herself forget it all for a minute, to indulge in something pointless and hypnotizing just to drag herself out of her deep thoughts, but it wasn't working. She always found herself thinking about it again. But she could at least do something with her hands while she thought. There was a little cube on her desk. It was one of those 3D wooden puzzle cubes where all of the pieces were tied together, and upon taking it apart, you had to try to shape it into a cube again. She was bad at them, but it would occupy her hands while she thought.

She slowly took it apart, the smaller cubes no longer resembling one big one, but now a string of small ones, winding in a seemingly impossible shape. She then remembered just how bad she was at these. But she allowed her hands to work with it, while she thought.

She tried to remember things from that day, in the mirror. It was vivid in her memory. The color of Yugi's eyes, the beautiful shine of the Puzzle around his neck, the sound of his voice… But most of all, she remembered that fleeting moment. There was a moment, just after she got the second half of that memory back, when she thought she was Yugi. She couldn't remember in that moment, anything from her current life. All of it was him. It was his face, his voice, and his memory. But she could remember that moment clearly, too. It didn't make sense. She could remember a moment, in which she couldn't remember anything? How did that work?

She looked down at her hands and gasped. She solved it. How long had she been sitting here, thinking? She solved the puzzle. She turned it around in her hands, the now solved cube smooth on her fingers. But…she was bad at these…very bad…how did she…? She slowly took it apart again, wondering how she managed to get it from point A to point B. As she thought, she allowed herself to fiddle with it in her hands again.

She absentmindedly slipped the pieces into place as she thought.

This was all a little insane, really. How could a whole lifetime of memories be fake? It simply wasn't possible. She could understand forgetting things, and even being someone else, to an extent, but her entire life simply could not be fake. The line between fiction and reality was starting to blur, or maybe turn upside down entirely, and it was frightening. But she was still herself. She still felt like herself. In the moments that she didn't, she experienced the worst kind of fear possible. But right now, she did, and she was thankful for that fact.

She looked back down at her hands, wondering how she had done at solving the little puzzle cube the second time, and looked down just in time to realize she knew how to click the last move into place, and as she did so, something flashed quickly before her eyes. Clicking a piece of a puzzle into place. The last piece. A beautiful golden puzzle. As her curiosity outweighed her fear for the moment, she tried to remember more, but there was nothing. Upon trying to remember the same thing again, she could remember the sheer excitement at finally,_**finally**_ finishing what she had worked so long and hard on. She stared back down at the little puzzle cube again, wondering how she solved it.

Her door opened and an unfamiliar face stepped in. He looked as if it was completely natural to be barging into her room uninvited. He was a teenager, younger than her, but still a teenager. Why didn't she know him? He looked a little like her. Almost as if…

She stared at him for a minute, utterly confused, and the look on her face must have deterred him, because he left shortly after, an annoyed look on his own.

Who was-?

A spark of knowledge hit her brain. Ototou? Little Brother? That was her brother?  
Of course! Of course it was her brother! So, if it was her brother….why didn't she remember him…?

This thought scared her. She didn't remember him. She tried harder, and still couldn't remember him. Wasn't that kind of an important part of her life? And here she was, with no memory of it.

She started to panic, as she realized what was going on. She was forgetting. Would it get worse? As she started to remember more of Yugi's life, was she going to keep forgetting her own? This thought terrified her. Wouldn't that be equivalent to dying? Not remembering your entire life? Would any sense of self be preserved, if she forgot everything? Did anything she remembered actually even happen, if it was really true that they were in a game? She looked back down to the solved cube puzzle in her hands. She couldn't do that before. Why could she suddenly solve it twice now? And quickly, too.

She realized the answer, drowning in fear as the thoughts rose to the front of her mind.

Because he was coming back. Yugi was slowly coming back. But for that to happen, she would have to leave. She would have to die, in a sense. She was afraid to die. She was afraid to forget everything she ever knew. She needed support. She could feel her breathing being affected by her crushing fear. And the Pharaoh wasn't going to be of any help this time. No, he was just a reminder of how true it was. She needed outside help, and she only had one option. She couldn't tell anyone else about this, they'd think she was insane. She desperately wished she had her best friend in this situation, but she knew what had become of her. Her friend was gone, Ryou in her place now. Just as she was going to be gone, with Yugi in her place soon.

She picked up her phone. Maybe it was a bad idea to call him. Wouldn't he _want_ Yugi back? But he was her last choice. She never made actual phone calls on her phone. Never. Only texted. But her hands were trembling with fear as she clicked the "call" button. It rang, sending her stomach turning with every ring he didn't answer.

"Hello?"

The voice of her friend made her choke back a tear, as she would have loved the support at the moment, but she knew she had to answer him, now. It was too late to back out. Her voice wavered as she managed to say his name out loud.

"Ryou…"

"Hannah? What it is? What's wrong?"

He could hear the pure turmoil in her voice.

This time she couldn't quite choke back the tears, the combination of her overwhelming fear, and the sound of the familiar voice too much for her to handle at once. She appreciated the fact that he chose to use her name and not the other one.

"Ryou I…I'm scared…I'm not sure…who I am anymore…"

It almost hurt to say it out loud. Maybe if she didn't say it, it wouldn't be true. But now she had, and now it had been voiced into the world, for all, including Ryou, to hear. She was almost certain he could hear the embarrassing tears in her voice, and she felt bad for calling him at all.

"_Yugi_…." He whispered, causing a whimper from Hannah's side of the line. "Would it be alright if I….I could be at your house in 10 minutes…if you wanted. Only if you wanted…. Because you know it's not exactly safe."

Safe? She didn't even care about safe. She was going to die. Well, in a way. She needed support. Some kind of support, and Ryou was the only one in this situation capable of providing it.

"P-please…I…I need you…" She managed to get out through the leftover tears of a minute ago, and the sheer fear cutting through her voice.

"I'll be right there."

He hung up. She let out a muffled sob when she heard the final "click" of the phone being disconnected. She wasn't sure how much longer she had left. She had forgotten something large and important about her life, and it could continue at whatever pace it wanted, she supposed. She could be gone tomorrow, or even by the end of today.

She could feel him there, observing. Probably watching to make sure everything went alright with Ryou. She was shaking with fear. She was overwhelmed. This was all too much. Again. Why was this happening so much lately? She was lucky her parents and grandparents were out, or she would have to explain the sudden unexpected arrival of her friend. Would she forget her parents too? Did they even exist, if this was a game? That thought caused a few more tears to fall down her cheeks.

"_It's going to be alright." _

That was sudden. But she didn't care. She didn't care what he said. He wasn't here for her, he was here for Yugi. And he was wrong. It wasn't alright. Nothing was alright. She was going to cease to exist. That was far from "alright".

"_Hannah…" _

NOW he had her attention. Her full attention. Not once, since this entire thing started, since she knew he was there, had he used her name. He had addressed her many times, but never by her name. Always "Yugi". He even slipped "aibou" once. But never her name.

"Pharaoh….I'm scared. I…I can't remember…and I'm scared…"

"_I know. And it's going to be alright." _

She didn't believe him. It wasn't. She was going to cease to exist, and before then, she was going to keep forgetting, and it was going to be scary, and not in any way "alright". And he was a harsh reminder of it all.

He was silent after that, knowing that there was nothing more he could do to comfort her in this particular situation.

Finally, after what felt like it could have been a year, there was a knock at the door. Ryou. She quickly dried her eyes with the back of her hands, trying desperately not to look like she had been crying. She was still trembling in fear as she unlocked the front door and led him into her room. When they sat down, she tried to keep herself calm, but it wasn't working. She couldn't keep the fear from shaking her, mentally and physically.

"Hannah…." His tone was soft and caring, "Tell me what happened. What's wrong?"

"Ryou…I…I'm forgetting…I'm going to be gone…I'm going to die…."

There was a hint of shock in his eyes at these words, but then it was just calm.

"It's not exactly like dying…." He said.

She forgot that he had been though something similar only, he had to remember all at once. But maybe that would be better? Maybe that would eliminate the pain, and the fear.

"You remembered all at once, didn't you…?"

"Yes…"

"Did it hurt…?"

"Yes."

She thought about that…it couldn't possibly hurt more than this crippling fear she was experiencing. She had forgotten something important. And she was going to continue to forget, until there was nothing left of her. It was going to be slow and agonizing. She wasn't sure that anything could stop it, or even slow it down.

"Yugi…" Ryou tried.

She looked up, angry at herself for responding so easily to the name, like it was second nature.

"What happened? What caused this? Did you remember something…?"

Would she tell him? Everything she had seen? That day in the mirror. The mirror that lied. The mirror that destroyed everything she thought she knew to be true.

"Yeah…I…I did…And I saw…myself…my soul…and…" She wondered if she could keep from crying as she continued, "And it wasn't mine…."

Ryou seemed thoughtful for a minute, and then there was a look of realization on his face.

"So you know now. Do you believe?"

Did she believe it? She had to. There was no other option at that point, but to believe it.

"Ryou I…I saw his face…in the mirror…and I heard his voice…and…I…"

Her voice still shook in fear, but even Ryou just being there comforted her a little.

"I know it's a lot to realize…"

Even his tone was comforting and soft. Part of her was glad she called him after all. She looked up at him, and saw the sad look in his eyes. Longing. The same look of longing for something you've lost. It was the same look Yami had given her a few days ago. And now she understood it. They wanted Yugi back. They had lost a friend, and she knew just how bad that stung, having lost her own friend to Ryou's memories.

"You….you want Yugi back…"

She noted, watching his response. He didn't say anything, but his eyes shifted, no longer able to look at her. He didn't deny it. Realization was dawning on her. She wasn't Yugi. Not the way he kept saying she was. But Yugi was going to come back, it was just happening slowly. It was probably just as painful for Ryou and the Pharaoh as it was for her.

"You _both_ want Yugi back…"

She was realizing. This fear that she felt, this crushing, crippling fear at losing one of her own memories. Yugi had lost them _all. _If she really was him, did she experience that? Was Yugi afraid to forget everything? What she was doing was cruel.

"You….You want Yugi back and I'm keeping him from you …."

Ryou responded immediately, surprise in his voice,

"N-No it's not like that! You _are_ Yugi, you just don't remember yet…"

But she wasn't. And she was going to slowly, very slowly, lose herself to his memories. And she knew it was going to hurt. But should she really ask what she was about to ask? It would be like suicide. But she didn't think she could handle losing any more. Maybe it would be painless if it was quick. She would just have him do whatever was done to Ryou. She would be gone, but at least she wouldn't have this feeling of dread hanging over her. This knowledge that she was slipping. And that she was going to continue to slip, probably in a more frightening and painful way each time, and eventually lose herself completely.

"Pharaoh…?"

She knew that Ryou wouldn't be able to hear his answer, as she questioned him, but she also knew that he would understand what was going on, and that he might want to be here when Yugi came back. Even though he didn't say anything, she could tell he was listening, so she continued.

"I…I'm ready… I thought about it…and I'm ready…just…make it quick, ok? Do whatever you have to do to bring him back, but make it quick…"

Like ripping off a Band-Aid. It was always almost painless if you went fast. She could feel him hesitate. She could feel him deciding whether or not to do it, and even preparing to do it, when Ryou spoke again.

"No!"

Wouldn't he want it that way? Wouldn't he be happy he was getting his friend back?

She didn't look up at him when she spoke.

"Ryou…I..." She was going to say "I'll be ok" but it would have been a lie. "Don't worry about me…and ...Goodbye…"

She closed her eyes, preparing to…die? Remember? Leave? Come back? But Ryou's next words made them snap back open.

"No…Hannah…Don't go…"

Something about his tone was different…the way he said her name wasn't forced now, and it sounded natural… She looked up at him and saw the different look in his eyes. But it wasn't harsher, or colder, it was caring, and concerned. She denied it at first. It wasn't what it looked like. Because her friend was gone, just like she was about to be. No matter how much it suddenly sounded like her, it couldn't be.

"D-Don't…I know you're not-"

'Don't mess with me like that, I know you're not her' was the full thought, but it got cut off, by the next response.

"Yes I am."

What? That couldn't be true. It couldn't. Ryou said she was gone. And she could see the difference. She could see that it wasn't her friend, just by the way he talked differently, and even moved differently, because no two people were the same, after all. But it became easier to believe when she looked back up and studied her friend for a second.

It looked like her again. The hint of the accent was gone, and everything looked like her again. But she wouldn't get her hopes up. It was too good to be true.

"How?"

"It's complicated…" She said, her face one of concentration.

Hannah looked her over again, wondering if it was possible. Why? Didn't Ryou regain his memories, and realize that his "character" didn't exist? But it would be wonderful to talk to her. She would understand. She would be the one person capable of comforting her when no one else could.

"Is it….really you…?"

One more small indication and that would prove it. She desperately needed a friend, and someone who would understand this situation, and if she was suddenly given one, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

"Yup."

That was it. That was proof enough. It was her. It was her best friend in the world, who she thought she'd lost. At this realization, she broke down, spilling her heart to her best friend, knowing that she would understand.

The tears started again, somewhat uncontrollably as she spoke everything that was on her mind.

"_Lauren_…I…I'm scared…I'm losing myself…It's slow and it hurts…I remember things I shouldn't, and I can't remember important things…who….who am I…?"

Before she realized what was going on, she was embraced in a hug. Neither of them were particularly hug-y, touchy people, but this was exactly what she needed at that moment. She cried tears of fear into her friend's shoulder, leaning in to the comfort, while her friend whispered in her ear,

"You _are_ Yugi."

The words hurt even more coming from her. Did she really believe that? If she said it, maybe it was true. But if it was true, then how were they being able to speak? If Ryou already remembered who he was, and thus his character was gone, how were they speaking?

"You're Yugi, and I know it hurts to remember, but it's gonna be ok, because you're going to remember slowly….ok?"

They gently pulled apart, and Hannah looked at her, from where she was standing having taken a couple of steps back, and she nodded. She was still scared. Incredibly scared. But now she had comfort too.

Her friend's eyes went unfocused and she mumbled "Stop it. I'll talk to her if I want to." And this time, she recognized it for what it was. A one sided conversation. She couldn't hear the other side, but she could guess what was being said. That's when she remembered that this was actually kind of a dangerous situation.

Her friend backed up a couple more steps, looking Hannah in the eyes before saying, "I'm sorry…"

She could tell exactly what was happening, and it scared her in a much more immediate sort of way than her last fear.

Her friend's expression and stance changed drastically, as she watched carefully, confirming her suspicions.

"I don't know why either of them still have any belief that they can stop me. It'd say it's pretty obvious that they are completely powerless."

She backed up a step, the look on Yami Bakura's face frightening and cold. When he spoke, it was the lower reaches of her friend's voice, and it was cold and harsh and dripping with cruelty.

"Hello there, Yugi. I don't believe we've spoken in person since this game started. It's me. Your Game Master."

He smirked as he said those words. They weren't a kind introduction, they were a rude awakening.

"_Do you want me to-?" _

'No.'

She cut him off with a thought. She knew what he was asking, and she wasn't ready for that yet. This day was spiraling out of control. Less control, was not what she wanted.

Game Master? Was this about the RPG they were supposedly all playing?

"Ah, so your precious Pharaoh hasn't told you yet?"

"T-told me what…?"

"You know where we are, correct? Didn't you ever wonder who set it up? Didn't you wonder _why_?"

No. She hadn't really wondered those things before, but now that he said it…

"Didn't you wonder why your beloved _Yami _would _**agree**_ to play a game where all of your memories were erased?"

He agreed to this? Yami Bakura was the Game Master, and he agreed to play an RPG with him, where all his memories were erased? He kept talking, seeing that it was bothering her.

"The character who you think you are? I made her. I created her, thought up her backstory, and implanted the false memories into your head."

Yami Bakura did it? He did it all along? He caused all of this? Before she really had time to think it over, he pulled something out of his pocket.

"But, I suppose it matters little, now." He said, walking closer to her, flipping the pocket knife he held in his hands open.

She backed up another step, until her back hit the wall.

"You appear unprotected. Was that phone call really the intelligent thing to do? If I kill you here, you die in the real world, along with the Pharaoh, and I get your Puzzle. Was it really intelligent to bring me right to you?"

His knife inched closer until it was against her throat threateningly. In all her life, she had never been in quite this kind of immediate danger.

"You must be more Yugi now than I thought, because I didn't create your character to be quite this _brave_."

The devilish smirk still on his face. Was that an insult? Was it meant to scare her?

"I'm actually surprised." And there _was_ surprise in his voice, but she couldn't tell if it was mock surprise or not.

"What must you be saying to hold him off for this long? Maybe if I-"

The knife pierced her skin. A warning cut, not deep enough to kill, but still painful.

At that moment, she realized just how gentle Yami had been with her before. How carefully he had pushed her out of the way last time, and the time before. This wasn't the same. It was quick, and forced, and even harsh.

She hadn't expected it. Even when she was ready for it, it was still a shocking feeling, so this time, when he wasn't being nearly as careful as he had in the past, it left her reeling.

Yami Bakura noticed, probably being one of the very few who _could_ notice, and he clicked the knife closed, and put it away.

"You make it entirely too easy to test you, Pharaoh."

She was torn. Hurt. He hadn't asked. In fact, he had tried to ask, and she said no. So this was entirely against her will. But, he had done it to protect her…right?

Everything went foggy as she could feel him deciding whether or not he was going to allow her to see what was going on. She knew he could easily pull her from everything, and send her floating in the darkness, or probably even put her to sleep. The amount of loss of control was shocking and concerning.

In the end, he left it up to her, whether she would watch or not. She knew how to distance herself from it if she wanted to.

She could feel his anger, his wrath, whether he wanted her to or not, she could feel it, and it scared her.

"Get out."

Yami Bakura smiled insanely. Was he insane? He was certainly brave to be smiling in this situation.

"I wasn't actually going to harm him. I may have broken the first rule, but I don't intend to break them all. "

"Leave. Now."

He was really threatening him. She wondered what he was going to do if Yami Bakura didn't do as he said. Something frightening, she was sure.

"If you don't want me around, perhaps you shouldn't let your host so willingly call mine here. Did no one warn him of the danger? You've really kept him in the dark, haven't you?"

"BAKURA! NOW!"

"Alright, fine. But one more thing. Yugi," He looked straight into their eyes. He could tell she was watching. She didn't know how he knew, but he knew. "I hope you're enjoying my little game."

Yami Bakura faded into Ryou, which wasn't hard to see by the difference of expression and the arrogant way that Yami Bakura stood when he was the one in control.

She didn't dare speak to the Pharaoh when he was this angry. She was afraid to speak to him. She was afraid of him in general. His anger did fade when it was Ryou they were speaking to and not Yami Bakura. That was Ryou, right?

She watched carefully, even if she wasn't the one in control at the moment, making sure that was Ryou and not her friend. Yes, it was Ryou. She was pretty sure it was Ryou…She wondered if he had watched, just like she was doing now. Ryou seemed to know exactly what was going on, so maybe Bakura did let him watch.

"Pharaoh…" Ryou started carefully. Very carefully, noticing how angry he was and not wanting to push it any further.

Ryou looked at him with a pleading, almost sad look in his eyes, and he said quietly and cautiously,

"Is she scared…?"

She could feel the realization hit him, as he turned his attention toward her for the first time since he had taken over. He seemed to realize what he'd done, retreating and gently pushing her back into control.

She blinked, taking in all that just happened. She brought her hand to the cut on her neck, a little shocked at the amount of pain for such a small injury. It felt wet. She put the same hand in front of her face, confirming her worst thoughts. Blood. And lots of it. This was all too real, now. As real as it had been before, she understood how serious it was now.

"I…I'll just go now…" Ryou said, sounding almost frightened that Yami Bakura would try something again. Before leaving he stood in her doorway and said

"Yugi…call me if you need me, ok?"

She nodded, ignoring the use of the name that wasn't hers.

* * *

After she cleaned and bandaged the cut on her neck, she realized she would have to hide it somehow. It wasn't summer, but it was still too hot out for a scarf, or a coat. She looked around her room for something to hide the bandages, and found something ironic. A belt. Cut off short, so it fit around her neck. She remembered finding the perfect belt and cutting it, just to look like the show. She slid it around her neck and buckled it, thinking of how ironic it was now. It hid the bandage nicely, though. Her parents wouldn't question it, and they wouldn't see the cut across her neck to question that either.

She looked in the mirror, the fading blonde highlights in her hair and the belt around her neck becoming laughably ironic. But she didn't laugh. She was too tired and worn down to laugh. So she went to bed, sleeping with the belt on in case her mom came to wake her up, just to be sure she wouldn't see the bandages. Her mom. How long would she remember her?

How long would she remember anything?


	12. Comfort

He hadn't spoken a word to her since the day before.

She was still getting used to the belt around her neck that was hiding the bandage.

She directed the words at him in every way possible, even if he hadn't said anything and she could feel him attempting to hide his presence.

"Am I like him?"

Silence. Was he angry with her? She was still taking in all that happened the day before. She called Ryou to her house, obviously it being a stupid decision, and she discovered that her friend still existed within him, but so did Yami Bakura. What was his reason for attacking her with the knife? He mentioned testing the Pharaoh. Was that what he was doing? Testing?

It was the first time he forcefully shoved her soul aside, and took control for himself. She hadn't expected it of him, and had even tried to fight back a little, but she found that she didn't know how. He was so careful the first times. So gentle and seemingly caring. This time he scared her. His anger scared her, his willingness to shove her out of the way and take matters into his own hands. He never answered, so she tried again.

"Am I like Yugi?"

"_I told you. You __**are**__ Yugi." _

But she knew it wasn't quite true. Maybe Yugi's soul and hers were one and the same, but she knew now. She had different memories, and different memories make you a different person. Right?

"I…I know you say that…but I'm not really…not yet…maybe I will be…but I'm not yet…"

The idea of losing herself to Yugi still hurt a little to think about, but it was true. She already remembered certain things about his past. And she was conflicted, because she wanted to remember more. She wanted to remember everything else, but at the same time, she didn't want to forget her past either.

"_Yes. You are like him. You are like him in a million ways, and yet, you're different in a billion more." _

His answer surprised her, seeming deep, but personal. He rarely spoke this personally to her about anything. But if she was Yugi, then didn't they know each other? Well? She thought back to the duel with Pegasus. Yes. They did know each other. When she thought back to that moment, that moment that she shouldn't remember, but she did, she felt much closer to him.

She thought back to the day before, and realization hit her all over again.

"You miss him…"

If the feelings she remembered, and anything the show said were true, then they were very close. She thought about it for a minute from a Fan Fiction perspective. If Yugi forgot everything, and Yami was still there, with Yugi who couldn't remember-….

"I'm sorry…you must miss him terribly…."

She knew how much it hurt to lose a friend, after all, she thought she had lost hers to Ryou, only to discover later that her friend still existed in some form or another. She made a mental note to ask about that later. And the realization was hitting her again. Yami had lost Yugi. According to the show, they were inseparable, in every meaning of the word.

He laughed. It wasn't a sad laugh, but not an overly happy one either. The word "Knowing" seemed to describe it.

"_It's funny. Leave it to you Yugi, to apologize to me for making me miss you when you're standing right in front of me. That's exactly what he would do, Hannah. You're more like him every day. That's exactly how he would respond." _

That might have been the longest sentence he had ever spoken to her. And after all of this, she was still scared. After yesterday, wanting to just vanish, wanting to remember all at once so she would disappear with Yugi in her place, she was still scared. But she had to listen to her friend. She wanted her to remember slowly, so that's what she would do. Even if it was painful. Because she trusted her best friend with her life.

"Yesterday…I told you to do it…but you didn't…you could have had him back right then and there…but you didn't…why?"

There was a moments silence before his answer.

"_I almost did. You don't know how much I was tempted to do it. How much I wanted to do it. But it would be painful. It would hurt you. And Yugi wouldn't want me to cause you pain." _

Why was he so willing to talk all of the sudden? Not that she didn't like it, but it was odd. Was it because…she _did_ sound more like Yugi? If she did, it was so subtle she didn't notice. If she was changing, it was slowly. Maybe it wouldn't be as painful as she thought?

"So I'm really not him…? We really are different?"

"_You are him, but it's complicated." _

She thought about that for a minute, not caring to even attempt to block her thoughts from him, as she didn't know how to do it well enough to make an impact anyway.

So she _was_ Yugi? What did that mean? It meant that everything she knew was a lie. She already had it proven to her. She remembered what it felt like to be Yugi. She could remember how it felt to speak with his voice. But did that mean that's who she was? If she was Yugi, did that mean that this life she was living now was a lie? Her entire LIFE was a lie? None of it happened?

That took a minute to soak in. 19 YEARS worth of life, just never happened? It was that simple? She never knew the people she thought she knew? Did the things she thought she did? How could it all be a lie? She thought of the boy she knew was in the bedroom next to hers. The brother she couldn't remember. She thought back over her "childhood", but he wasn't in it. She knew he was in it before, but she had no memory of him now. It was like he never existed. Because, in a way, he didn't. If it was true and they WERE in a game, then he didn't exist.

"_Do you accept who you are?" _

Why would he ask that, if he could hear her thoughts? Maybe because she hadn't decided yet? She thought on it. Did she accept the idea that she was someone else entirely? She had to think back to everything of his that she remembered. It all felt real….just as real as her memories did. So which ones were real? There were far fewer of Yugi's to analyze, but they still felt real.

So, could she accept it? Was she really someone else? Could she accept the idea that none of her past happened, and she was someone else entirely? Yesterday she had been ready to die. To lose all of her memories at once, and let her personality die. So, if she could do that, surely she could accept being someone else.

"Yes…I think so…"

"_Then you're ready. I've been waiting to show you something until you were ready. I think it's time." _

He had already shown her proof of the fact that Yugi's soul and hers were one and the same. When she was in spirit form, she looked like Yugi. She sounded like him. She _was_ him. So what was it this time? What could she possibly need to be ready for? What could possibly be more drastic than showing someone that they weren't themselves?

"O-Ok…"

She closed her eyes, knowing that it would probably be asked of her anyway.

It felt like falling asleep. She was almost sure she _did_ fall asleep first. But then a new area appeared and her eyes struggled to focus. Wait, a new area? What, could he teleport her now? No. That was stupid. So, where was she?

A room. A simple room. 4 walls, a door, and a bed? Toys scattered across the floor? She instantly recognized this room, but didn't want to admit it to herself. 'It's his soul room. It's Yugi's soul room.' Her brain told itself, remembering it from the Anime. But if this was his soul room, then that meant…

As she moved to stand up she noticed the differences. She caught the blonde hair she could see out the corner of her eyes, and the different feel as she moved. She looked down at her hands, half expecting them to be transparent, but they weren't. They were however, different. Not her own. Maybe even a little bigger? Shorter nails. A little less fragile looking and less…feminine. Slowly trying to process this information, she took in more differences. As she looked down to examine what she could see of herself without a mirror, she noticed the Millennium Puzzle hanging on the chain around her neck, and the distinct lack of something else she expected to be there. Of course. How could s/he/ not have noticed before? Yugi was, after all, a boy. But this felt different than the time in the mirror. This felt more…real. She felt more present here.

She felt a little odd, but mostly different. Not a bad different, just different.

The door of the room opened very slightly, and he knocked a couple of times catching her attention. She had seen him before, more than once, but that didn't mean she wasn't surprised. Here, she couldn't see straight through him and to the wall behind him. Seeing a fictional character in real life was still shocking, even after the third or fourth time. Remembering that he was _real _and not just the voice in her head, was shocking.

"Can I come in?"

She quickly nodded, still unsure of the whole situation, but trying to make sense of it.

All in all, he still scared her a little. He held himself like a King, probably because he _was_ one. His voice was deep and commanding, and could easily be harsh and even cruel if he so desired. He carefully stepped into the room. Wait. Carefully? Why was he being so careful? Why now? He hadn't bothered to be careful yesterday.

"Do you know where we are?"

"It's his-…_my_ soul room…"

She couldn't help but gasp after she said it. It wasn't her voice. But why would she expect any different? So here she was again, in a situation similar to before in the mirror. Speaking with another's voice and seeing with his purple tinted eyes. But if he was right, it _was_ her voice. She just didn't remember it. Ok, that wasn't entirely true. She _did _remember it a little. Not a lot, just a little, but she could remember that voice coming out of her mouth before. She scanned the room again, still curious about the whole situation, and her eyes finally landed on him again.

There was that familiar look in his eyes. The look of longing. The look you get when you miss someone. She knew he missed Yugi, and she almost wanted to do something to fix that. But what could she do? If everything he said was true, she was Yugi herself, she just didn't remember. Not all of it. So she thought back to what she did remember of his life. Calling Yami "Mou hitori no boku", and helping him fight Pegasus. How excited she was to see him for the first time. She remembered fighting _against_ him in the duel with Kaiba. And then the warmth she felt when she forgave him and accepted his help again. She remembered clicking the last piece of the Puzzle into place.

She felt a spark of emotion at all of that combined. She…missed him too?

"I'm sorry…" She said, looking back up at him, ignoring the sudden familiarity that was in her voice now, "I'm sorry I can't remember…"

He looked shocked for a little less than an instant, but then regained his calm.

"Yugi…" He started, a sad but genuine smile appearing on his face, "It's alright. Don't apologize. It's my fault."

That confused her just a little.  
"How…is it your fault…? Did you…make me forget?"

He sighed, preparing to explain.

"No, Bakura did that himself. I agreed to play this game in the first place. I…had no way out, Yugi. Eventually, you'll remember that too. You were there. He made it impossible to back out. It was impossible to say no."

That's right. This was apparently all a game. Bakura had been the one to erase her memories the first time?

Wait. That sounded familiar. Really familiar. She read that before? That's right. It was a Fan Fiction! She remembered reading a Fan Fiction, where those same things happened…Yami Bakura started a game…and it required Yugi and Ryou forgetting everything…but, how could that be?

That was one of the several fan fictions she read. But that didn't make sense. She knew that what happened in the Anime and the Manga were a general idea of what really happened, but a Fan Fiction? She remembered that Fan Fiction pretty clearly. Someone wrote the first chapter but never posted more. It was uploaded a long time ago. It wasn't a very long chapter, either. She remembered that there was a little bit of dialogue between a few of them. And she remembered that Yugi was scared. Yugi was scared…but if she was Yugi then that meant…

"I…I was scared….?"

"You remember?"

"N-No…I read it…in a Fan Fiction….how could a Fan Fiction be real…?"

It didn't make sense. Fan Fiction wasn't real.

"No you didn't. It isn't that the Fan Fiction was real, it's that you never read that Fan Fiction at all."

This confused her entirely. He wasn't making any sense in the least bit, at all. None.

"But…what do you mean I didn't read it...?"

"That was the last thing to be erased from your memory, and it appears to have left an imprint. The day that you thought you read that Fan Fiction, was the day the game began, Yugi."

But…that wasn't that long ago! A couple of weeks, maybe! They had only been in this "Game" for a couple of weeks? She had lived 19 years, in the span of two weeks? But of course, she hadn't really lived them, had she? If this was all a game, her life never happened. That thought started to scare her again. Everything she held dear, never happened. She never had a first dog, or cried at a song that touched her, or had all of the birthdays she thought she had. She never had her best friend, or any of her friends, she never did anything she thought she did.

She fought back the tears as hard as she could, not wanting him to see her cry, but even after her best effort, the tears fell anyway.

"I…I'm scared…"

She didn't want to voice her fears to him either, but he was the only one there. Maybe, if she was Yugi, he would understand. Maybe he could find it in himself to care, even a little, about the person who stole Yugi away from him. The person hiding him with fake memories.

It was a moment before she realized what had happened. Before she realized that he had even stepped closer. It took her a second to realize that his strong arms were around her comfortingly, in a hug. It shocked her. She had never seen him display such emotion, and the fact that they could physically interact in this room shocked her. But the comfort. The comfort was sweet. It was beautiful. She was still crying. A little harder now, indulging in the comfort being offered.

"Yugi…it's alright. I'm here."

She had never intentionally called him by Yugi's nickname for him. She always felt it was too intimate for someone she had just met. She called him "mou hitori no boku" once, after the time in the mirror, and she may have slipped once or twice, not knowing she did it, but the rest of the time, she addressed him as "Pharaoh", trying to keep it as formal as possible. But now, maybe it was different? She was Yugi, right? So maybe she could start calling him the same thing Yugi called him.

"C-Could I…call you "Yami"…?" She questioned carefully. The last thing she wanted was to make him mad, especially when he was offering her such comfort in her time of fear.

"Of course."

"Yugi…" He started quietly, still hugging her, but not in an intrusive way, "I missed you."

She was going to tell him that she wasn't Yugi. She was going to remind him of who she was. But then she was uncertain of who she was. With his voice so close, and everything she just thought over…She remembered the spark of emotion she had when she went back over what she remembered of Yugi's life, and when she did, another spark of emotion hit her. Stronger this time. And she knew, that what she was about to say, wasn't a lie. She wasn't just saying it to please him. It was true.

"I…I missed you too…"


	13. Insecurity

Ever since the day in his soul room, she dreamed Yugi's memories.

It started the night after, and it hadn't stopped since. It had been a few days since then.

She remembered what she assumed were some of his earliest memories. Being 5 years old, and getting ice cream with his mom at the ice cream place that she now remembered closed since then. His 6th Birthday party. Little things.

It felt nice to remember it, but it hurt at the same time. It felt strange to know that she forgot most of what she now knew was her "real" life. Yugi's life. The life she should remember, but didn't.

Sometimes her daily activities would trigger a memory. Usually small things, like flashes of who she used to be. Or, was becoming? Always was?

Yami said she was changing, but it was hard for her to see. She was starting to answer things differently than she would have, and think a little differently. She knew that it was going to keep happening until she was a different person entirely. It scared her, but she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.

He talked to her more now, and she understood why. Because she answered him more like what Yugi would, than like how she would. She sounded like Yugi. She realized it sometimes. Thinking things like "I wouldn't answer that question that way..." or like "I've never felt this way about that before…" She felt more compassionate now, even if just a little. She laughed a little less at other people's pain. Was that how Yugi was? It was kind of a good feeling, if she thought about it.

Her own memories were starting to become hazy. She knew it would happen, but that didn't stop her from being afraid when she noticed it. They were starting to feel less real, and less there, and more like they really didn't happen.

But Yugi's memories, they felt real. Real, and solid, and very important. They felt important.

She wasn't Yugi yet. But she wasn't herself either. It was an odd transitional period, she assumed. Like when you get your hair cut really short, and it looks funny for a minute, before it grows back out. Or like, a teenager. Not a child, but not yet an adult.

She was almost not sure what name to go by anymore. If she thought about it too much, it brought her to tears again, so she tried to go on like it was all normal, and like none of it was happening. Like she wasn't slowly remembering someone else's childhood with perfect clarity. In fact, as she was starting to slowly notice, Yugi's memories were much clearer than hers. Hers had always been fuzzy, but since they were all she had known, she thought that it was normal. She was realizing now, that it wasn't.

She only remembered up until he was 6 years old, and a few things from his recent past, but it was already so much clearer than what she was used to.

It didn't feel as much like dying or losing herself as she thought it would. In fact, she still FELT like herself, even though she was being told that she wasn't ACTING like herself. But then, who was she really in the first place?

She felt passion for things she loved fade, and she started to wonder if it would ever be replaced, or if she was going to feel this way forever?

It was a few days later that she realized all over again that the card game existed. Normal life seemed to happen around her, even though everything was changing, in her eyes. Her parents still dropped her off to "hang out" with friends, even though she was starting to feel different, and she knew now that she was really in a game.

She had been dropped off at the library when a game of "Duel Monsters" broke out. She used to love watching her friends play, and she could follow it, but she was bad at the game itself. She didn't remember anything of the game from Yugi's perspective. She couldn't remember that recently into his past. The only things she remembered were from when he was younger, and what Yami had showed her. The card game hadn't been in his life until he was a little older, so she didn't remember it. Not yet.

But she found herself understanding it better than she thought she would have.

It was too bad this part was never like the show. Whereas if this duel was like it was in the show, they would have been yelling, "Not so fast! You've activated my trap card!" There was a lot less of that, and a lot more silently flipping it over for the opponent to view and then let take effect. There were no holograms either. It was all tabletop gaming.

"Hey Hannah, you ok?"

What? One of her friends had said that. What did they mean?

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine…why?"

"You're not acting like yourself…is something wrong?"  
She wasn't? What did they mean, she wasn't acting like herself? Wasn't this normal? Could she really be acting different and not notice?

"I…I am? Nope, nothin's wrong…"

"Ok then…"  
And her friend turned their attention back to the card game at hand.

As she was watching this card game, a new feeling came over her. Someone was missing. Someone should be there, who wasn't there. No, not just someone, several people… And before she could realize who she was missing, her heart started to ache, in their absence. But who was it she was missing? Who should be here?

Ryou? Should Ryou be here? Yes. He should be here, watching from the sidelines, helping Yugi cheer on Jounouchi-wait. Jou wasn't playing… It was… Hannah suddenly couldn't remember the name of the friend playing card games at the table right in front of her.

And Anzu should be beside him, cheering Jou on with optimism and words of warmth and friendship…

And Honda, he should be there too…helping them cheer on their friend…

She blinked and looked around. How could she miss friends she had never met? Or, friends she couldn't remember meeting, at least… At the thought of not remembering them, the feelings of missing them, the longing to see them, and the pain of their absence grew stronger. She didn't break out of it until her phone rang.

It took her a minute to process the voice on the other end of the line. Mom. Of course, that was her mom. And it was time to go. She hung up and looked up to tell her friends that she had to leave, but when she looked up, for an instant she was somewhere different. For a fleeting instant, she was somewhere else, and Jounouchi was dueling against some unknown challenger, and Ryou and Anzu and Honda were standing right there, cheering him on. She stared at them all in disbelief, and then blinked, and the image was shattered, leaving behind the table at the library and some very confused looking friends.

"I...I gotta go…"

And with that, she turned around and walked out.

* * *

She knew what would happen when she slept. Memories would happen. With every night she was asleep, and even with the days, she was remembering more and more of Yugi's life. But the more of his she remembered, the less real her own felt, and she knew this night would be no different.

She rolled over in bed and prepared herself to remember a little more. The thought crossed her mind again, as it had been doing since she first realized what was going on, 'How could I forget my whole life?'

The last pieces she remembered in dreams were from when he was pretty young. 6 or 7. So she expected something from somewhere around there again tonight. She didn't dread it. She almost looked forward to it, in a way.

She drifted off into sleep, curious as to what she might remember when she woke up in the morning.

\\

When I woke up, I was really confused. Sunlight filtered through my open blinds into my bedroom. Wait, my bedroom? How long had we been back? When did the game end? Wait. I remembered? Everything? It felt like I did…it felt so good to be myself again…so unbelievably good.

And that's when I noticed the pain. The horrible, aching, constant pain. My hand rose to my chest. This was almost physical pain. It was like my heart hurt. And soon after that, I realized why. I was alone. More alone then I had been in years. Completely by myself. No one was with me at all. But why? Why wouldn't he be here? I desperately mentally reached for him, just wanting to know that he was there. But he wasn't. No one was. The longer I sat there, the worse the pain got, and the more the realization hit me. He wasn't here. Why wasn't he here? He should be here! I was alone. I wasn't ready to be alone like this again. "Yami?" I called out loud, hoping and praying for an answer. Please answer me…

"Yami?"

I tried again. Nothing. My pain didn't fade, and he still wasn't here. He was gone, then? That was it? Completely gone? No, that couldn't be. I barely noticed myself slightly shaking, and the tears that were slipping down my face even if I didn't want them to. I couldn't do this. I couldn't be alone like this again. What happened? Wasn't he with me in the game? So, what happened? How did we get out of there, anyway? It hit me again, the realization of just how alone I was. I already missed him so bad it hurt. No, I couldn't live like this. I needed him.

"Yami!"

\\

She woke up in a cold sweat, tears running down her face, in complete despair. She sat bolt upright, breathing heavily, unsure of what just happened.

"Yami!"

He was immediately standing there beside her, looking worried.

She gasped and sighed the biggest sigh of relief in her life.

"D-don't leave me…don't leave me all alone…"

She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hands, trying to clear the still flowing tears.

"_Yugi, what are you talking about? What's wrong?" _

"Y-you weren't there, and I was scared and alone, a-and how'd we get out of here…? I…I…it hurt…"

He shushed her comfortingly.

"_It's ok. I won't leave you. It was a dream. That's all, just a bad dream." _

Was that all it was? It didn't happen? No. That couldn't be…because—

"Yami….I…I remember…e-everything…"

"_What?" _

She nodded, and then realized just how weird she felt and sounded.

"I…I need…to hear my voice…can we...-?" She let it trail off knowing that he would know what she meant.

He nodded, looking serious but understanding, and then he disappeared completely.

She leaned back in bed and closed her eyes, feeling herself be willed into her soul room.

Yugi looked around his soul room. The last time he was in here, he couldn't remember who he was. He was already walking to the door to find Yami, but he beat him to it.

They stood, staring at each other for a minute before Yugi made the first move.

He raced towards Yami as fast as he could, knocking him back with possibly the biggest most meaningful hug he had ever given anyone. He didn't even notice he was crying until he tried to talk, relieved to hear his own voice instead of his character's.

"I'm back…I missed you…I missed you so much…I'm sorry…"

Yami stared down at him in disbelief, but then hugged him back.

"Yugi…what happened?"

Yugi pulled away, and then rubbed the tears out of his eyes.

"I…I don't know…I was in this dream…I was back at home, out of the game, that's when I realized that I remembered everything… but… you weren't there…so I started to get really scared…Yami…It hurt to be without you…I was so…so alone…"

Yugi could see the complete disbelief and confusion in Yami's eyes, even as he spoke.

"Yugi…I haven't left you. I've been here this entire time, even before you knew I was. Through this whole game. I promise."

Yugi looked up at him, confusion and hurt in his own eyes now, and he seemed almost panicked as he said,

"Yami…I… I don't remember how we got here….I can't remember how the game started…"

That's when Yugi really started to panic. How they got there wasn't the only thing he couldn't remember. And if he was right, he could feel his memories slipping away again.

"No…No…I'm forgetting again…Yami…I don't want to forget again…"

Yami looked at him, his eyes full of a knowing sadness.

"It isn't time yet."

Yugi was crying now, in his panic.

"But I…I don't want to forget you…a-and everything….we've been through…don't let me forget again…p-please…."

"Yugi…It'll be alright. I'll be right here, I promise. Even if you don't remember, I'll be here."

Yugi was frantic. With everything he tried to remember, he realized that he remembered a little less.

"Don't leave me…don't leave me…."

"Oh Yugi…calm down, I'm not going to leave you." He put his hand on Yugi's shoulder supportively, "It's ok. It's ok if you forget again, because I'm going to help you remember. Ok?"

Yugi nodded through his tears, which were flowing freely now, with no hope of stopping anytime soon. Was he a crybaby lately? It didn't matter. He threw his arms around his Yami again, clinging as if he really was going to leave him. Why did he have to do this twice? Twice he had to forget everything? The longer he stood there the less he remembered about his past. This just wasn't fair. He had lost himself once, and his character once, and now he was going to lose himself again?

When he spoke it was in-between sobs of fear and pure heartache.

"Yami…I…I can't...remember…"

Yami had his arms around Yugi comfortingly, protectively, and pulled him close.

"I know. I know, and it's alright."

He allowed Yugi to remain there, held closely to him, crying, for what must have been quite a while. Everything in their soul rooms felt real, if they didn't think about it. If they stopped to think about it long enough, they'd feel the strange feeling that they weren't _really_ there. The feeling that maybe, they weren't really there, being able to physically touch. Because technically, they weren't physically touching. Yami knew it. He knew, that he wasn't really hugging his closest friend, comforting him in the only way he knew how. And he would never be able to comfort him in the same way that others would. But Yugi didn't notice. He was too upset to think that deeply about it. Even though time didn't always work the same in soul rooms, they both assumed it had been about an hour. But Yugi was paying less attention to the time, and a little more attention to his slipping memories. He didn't forget anything from after the game started, up until this point, and he would have been thankful for that, if he didn't have bigger problems.

He gasped when the character's memories started to hit him again. They were fuzzy, and there weren't as many of them as there had been before, but they were hitting him now, in place of his own. He was hopelessly caught between two personalities. That of himself, and that of his character. When would this end? He didn't want to play this game anymore. He wanted to go home. He wasn't even sure which gender to refer to himself as anymore, because his character was a female, whereas he obviously was not. Ok, it was pretty obvious, at least. Well, he was himself as long as he was in this room, so that's how he'd think of himself. Her memories, the fake ones, flashed before his eyes a little more vividly now, locking themselves into place for this stupid game.

Yami looked at him, gently pushing him forward with his hands on his shoulders, so he could look him in the eyes.

Yugi's eyes were full of pain, and confusion.

"I…I just want…this to be over now…"

He sounded just as confused as he looked.

"Soon. It will be over soon. Are you ready to leave?"

Was he ready to leave this room yet? He recognized his own voice now, even if it was a little older than he remembered it sounding. And he didn't feel odd in here anymore, like he used to. But he needed sleep. Just because he was in his soul room, didn't necessarily mean he was asleep, or at rest.

He nodded, and then closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he was lying in bed again. Or rather, _she_ was lying in bed again. She knew she had to sleep, so she rolled over and closed her eyes again, hoping it would work out better this time. And it did. She remembered things, but this time she was glad she did. Because it was a memory she was very fond of.

It was his 8th Birthday. The day he received his all-time favorite birthday present ever. A beautiful golden Puzzle. Grandpa said it was from Egypt, and that no one had ever been able to solve it before. Yugi loved challenges though when it came to his games, so he knew, he just _**knew**_ he would solve it someday.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**The way I see it, there are several ways to look at the events in this chapter. **

**She was dreaming from the time she fell asleep, to the time her eyes opened the final time in the chapter. **

**Or,**

**Yugi's insecurity about the idea of Yami leaving him, which he knew to be a possibility, caused the first dream, which then triggered Yugi's **_**personality **_**to become apparent. He didn't actually remember anything, he only thought he did, and it was really still Hannah the entire time, confused and scared of something she only thought she remembered. **

**Or, **

**All of it happened, exactly like it was written, Yugi remembered everything for a few brief moments, triggered by the dream, and then quickly forgot due to the rules of the game. **


	14. Fear

**Author's Note: **

**I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. **

**I had all but given up on this story. I was out of inspiration, despite having this story line planned up until far in the future. **

**To anyone who still may be reading this, Thank you. **

**I also have to thank my reviewers, who have stayed by me through my first fanfiction, which has been full of first-time-er errors and mistakes. **

**I hope that my writing is improving, and will continue to improve in the future. **

**I DO have plans for this story, and as long as I can find the inspiration, and someone still wishes to read it, it will continue. **

**And so, without further interruption, here is chapter 14. **

**Enjoy~ **

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been a while, I know. _

_I don't even know why I'm writing this. Force of habit, I guess... _

_I've learned a lot about myself since I last wrote... _

_You know, I'm not even sure if this dairy is real. _

_I know I'm in a game. So I guess nothing is really "real". But I'll keep writing anyway..._

_Something really strange happened last night, and I don't think there's anyone I can really tell, so I'll write it here. _

_Last night... I wasn't myself. No, I don't mean I got drunk, or I just felt out of place... I really, __**really **__wasn't myself..._

_I was someone else... _

_Apparently, I am someone else. I'm not myself at all..._

_It's so complicated..._

_So, I'll start at the beginning?_

_All of my memories are fake. All of them. That's really hard to admit... it's even harder to put in writing..._

_But I know it's true... _

_I'm so scared... I think Yami knows it...no, I know he knows it. _

_Oh yeah, I almost forgot the most important part. _

_So, the show I was into?_

_Apparently, it's not just a show. _

_Yu-Gi-Oh is so, so much more than a TV show... It's real. All of it. Or, well, most of it, from what I can tell. _

_How do I know? _

_I..._

_This is so hard to write... _

_I __**am**__ Yugi. _

_I know, I know. It sounds crazy... but... I remember things... _

_I know they happened, because I __**remember**__ them. _

_I remember looking at my hair, __**my**__ crazy tri-colored hair, in the mirror and wondering how it always manages to stand on end..._

_I remember how different my voice sounds than the one that comes out of my mouth now... _

_This is all so hard to write... I don't want to admit it, I really don't... _

_I want to go back to denying it. I want to keep saying, "I'm myself, and no one else!" _

_But I know it isn't true...and that's what hurts so much to think about...I know it isn't true. I'm not myself. _

_I can feel it now, I think... I can tell I'm not myself...but then...what am I? _

_Oh gosh, I don't want to cry again...I've been crying so much lately... but I can't help it...I'm scared. _

_I don't feel 19 anymore. In fact, I don't even feel 16. I feel 12. Maybe. _

_Lately... I just don't feel like myself anymore. I'm not even sure who I am... _

_It's scary...to realize that you aren't yourself... _

_I thought I lost my best friend too, until the other day. I'm still not sure how she still exists...I thought she was Ryou._

_See, the way it works, (or so I'm told), is that I'm not who I remember being. I'm Yugi. And I'm in a game...but it's a Role-playing game, and so I had my memories replaced in order to "play my character". That's all I am... a character in a game... But anyway, Ryou was the same... my best friend didn't exist...only, she does now. It doesn't make much sense, but I like it better than if she was gone... _

_Should I tell her goodbye? _

_Oh. _

_I left out another detail..._

_I'm forgetting things... big things, about my life..._

_Soon, I won't remember anything about "myself". I can't decide if I'm okay with that or not. There isn't anything I can really do about it, even if I'm not._

_Last night. I couldn't remember anything about "my" life. Nothing. I knew that I was playing a game, and I knew that I was playing a character in a game... but I didn't remember much else. It came back to me, after a while... _

_I was upset... really upset... but why? I felt differently about a lot of things last night... I wanted to go home... but now I'm confused... where is home? _

_I know I keep saying this, but I'm scared. I hope that wears off, but it seems like the more I become this other person, the more I become Yugi, the more scared I am. _

_I don't feel like what I thought I knew about Yugi... Yami Bakura told me that Yugi was brave...but I don't feel brave...I feel small... and helpless... _

_I know I should feel like I'm getting to know Yami better, but I don't... I feel like I know him less every day... _

_He's the main poof to me that I'm Yugi, other than the fact that I remember it a little... _

_He's here with me. He's been here this whole time. _

_But the longer this goes, the more I become... this is still hard to write. The more I realize that I'm Yugi, the less I feel like I know him... shouldn't that be the opposite...? _

_I've felt close to him, before... One of those times was last night... I'm not sure why I said all the things that I did... like I said before, I wasn't myself... _

_I ran to him. _

_I hugged him. _

_I told him I missed him. _

_I asked him not to leave me. _

_I was so scared that he'd leave... _

_When I think about it now, I don't think he could, even if he wanted to... so why was I so scared? _

_I cried. I cried for a long time. I held onto him as if he was my best friend... I knew him. In those moments, I knew him. _

_So why do I feel so distant from him now? I mean, I don't feel like I know him well... In fact... I think I'm kind of afraid of him... _

_I know what he's capable of... I can't control him... he showed me that when I called Ryou over. _

_I was scared and desperate, so I didn't care that it was dangerous. I didn't care that I was essentially calling Yami Bakura to my house... _

_But when the inevitable happened, and Yami Bakura threatened me, Yami wasn't happy. _

_I wouldn't call the feeling pain exactly, but it wasn't pleasant, either. It's very hard to describe being possessed, but I guess I'll try..._

_I doubt very many people have felt anything like it before. Normally everything people feel is physical. This isn't really a physical feeling. It's sort of...mental... Sort of the feeling of your very __**being, **__your very existence, your essence, being forced to move. _

_And, if it's not something you purposefully will, it's painful. _

_He showed me that. He taught me that. _

_He was so angry... I could feel how angry he was. He pushed me out of the way like it was nothing. I couldn't protest. I couldn't even gasp. I had absolutely 0 control. I was too scared to say anything to him. Too scared to speak to him at all. _

_Will he do that again? _

_The thought scares me. _

_I don't think he's reading this, as I'm writing it. Or even reading my thoughts before they turn into writing. Something about giving me privacy. That implies that he cares...but... I'm still not sure... _

_Before, when I would remember that he was there, when I would realize that I could feel his presence, I was comforted...but now... I'm scared. _

…

_I know he can tell because he just asked if I was okay. I'm scared, and he can feel it... _

_My hand is starting to hurt... I think I got a lot of this off of my chest... I hope no one finds this...maybe I'll burn it later... _

_-Hanna—no. Not anymore... I guess I'll sign my real name now... _

_-Yugi. _

She gently closed the small black journal. She didn't think she'd ever written that much in one sitting before. Her hand hurt, but it was worth it. Sometimes, people just need to get things off their chests.

As soon as she wrote the words "Dear Diary", Yami stopped watching. Stopped listening to her thoughts. She could feel his presence lessen, and she didn't know whether to be relieved, or nervous...

But he turned his attention back towards her when he felt just how scared she was. And now that she was finished writing, he was going to find out why.

"_Yugi, what's wrong?" _

She flinched.

"N-Nothing..."

A pause. An odd, uncomfortable silence in which neither of them said anything, but tension grew.

"_I can tell how afraid you are... What's wrong?" _

His voice was quieter. Almost as if he was being careful.

"I...I'm just..." She sighed. She didn't want to tell him. How do you tell the person you're afraid of that they scare you? You don't.

"I'm just...afraid of the future I guess..." Not a very sound lie, and she knew it.

"_Yugi..." _and she could already tell by the tone of his voice that she hadn't gotten away with it. _"You know I'd never hurt you..." _

She should have known she couldn't hide it from him.

"I... I'm not sure I do know that..."

"_You have nothing to fear from me." _

But she was a little scared of just his presence... just the fact that she could _feel_ he was there, scared her a little.

She turned on instinct and saw him sitting beside her, ghostly see-through and a caring expression on his face.

"_Is this better?" _

She had to think about that for a minute. She liked being able to see him. See his expression, and think of him as someone who was really there, in the room with her, rather than someone invading her head.

She nodded, and he smiled.

"_I promise you that I mean you no harm. Don't you remember?" _

"N-No..."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. She still remembered fighting against Pegasus with him. And she certainly remembered the way she treated him last night. But she also remember fighting against him on several occasions.

He nodded, showing that he understood.

"_Let's make it a game." _

Something about those words sent chills down her spine. But, the way he was smiling was gently...

"What... kind of game?"

"_I just want to talk. You tell me the truth, and I promise to tell you the truth. Sort of like truth or dare." _

For a second she wondered how he knew about truth or dare. Wasn't that a kid's game? But there were much more important thoughts in her head than that at the moment.

She slowly nodded.

"_Mind if I start?" _

She looked at him expectantly.

"_You're afraid of me, aren't you." _

There was a pause as she wondered if she could actually get the word to come out of her mouth.

"Yes."

Her voice was shaky, and she swore she heard it crack, even though she spoke quietly.

"_Yugi...do you remember solving the Puzzle?" _

She thought back. To even her own surprise, she did.

"Yes... but... nothing after that...I mean..." She thought on it for a minute. "I didn't know then, either... What...happened...?"

"_That was my fault." _

She was a little shocked at how fast he responded. He did say they _both_ had to tell the truth...

"_Do you remember Death-T?" _

A couple of flashes of the Manga and Season0 came back to her, but not enough to piece together an entire event, and nothing that she actually remembered happening.

"N-No..."

"_The first thing you need to know is that you shouldn't be afraid." _

She nodded even though she didn't entirely believe him.

"_When you solved the Puzzle, you released me. That was also the first time I took over. I defended you. I know now that you wouldn't have agreed with my methods..." _

Which was one of the reasons she was scared...

"_I did bad things in the beginning, Yugi." _

So he really was worth being scared over... was he evil? No... surely not. He didn't seem _evil_.

There was a moment of silence between them again, in which her fear grew, and he noticed.

"_Yugi... do you know why I call you "Aibou"...?" _

She used to know...didn't she? She couldn't remember now...

"No..."

There was a small smile on his face. Like he was remembering something good from a long time ago.

"_It's Japanese. It means "Partner". _

She was a little shocked. She had heard him call her that before. He hadn't meant to. It seemed to be a slip. But surely someone who was worth being frightened over wouldn't refer to the person he was scaring as "Partner"...

Seeing that she had calmed a little, he spoke again.

"_I have an idea." _

She looked back at him expectantly.

"_Could I borrow a page in your journal?" _

She didn't say anything yet as the realization of what that would require was hitting her, so he continued.

"_You could read it, when I'm finished. It's alright if you aren't ready for this yet. I ask, I do not demand." _

But that would mean... and that was one of the things she was scared of the most...

"_If you wanted," _He started slowly, _"I could make you sleep. If it's too much for you to see, I could let you sleep, and you wouldn't remember it. You wouldn't have to be present." _

She stared down at her feet, while she was thinking.

It was a complicated subject.

Should she willingly allow possession?

He wanted to _possess_ her.

And he wanted her to willingly allow it.

How could anyone do that?

But then...she almost felt bad for him, in a way...

As far as she knew, possessing her was his only way to interact with the world.

How could she deny him that?

"Just...for a few minutes...?"

"_Just long enough for me to write a page or two in your journal, and then I promise I'll wake you up." _

She shouldn't say no... he wasn't asking for a lot... but at the same time, he was asking for the entire world.

"O-Okay... I agree..."

She turned back to look at him, but his image had disappeared.

She couldn't help but realize how gentle he was being this time. Careful. He was being careful. That isn't to say the feeling wasn't still shocking, but at least it wasn't as forceful this time... it wasn't harsh...

"_Do you still want to sleep?" _

She silently thanked him for still speaking in her head, and not using her voice, because she didn't think she could handle being any more frightened than she already was.

'Yes...please...'

She wasn't ready to be present yet. Every move he made and breath he took while he was in control scared her a little more.

Her vision started to darken around the edges as she was pulled in by sweet peaceful comfortable sleep.


End file.
